The Outcast
by Sorrelwing
Summary: After their first summer vacation in Rio, our favourite feathered family return to the Amazon and the tribe. The kids are now in their early teens. While Carla and Tiago have few problems fitting into the 'cool kids', Bia's intelligence has made her an outcast and shunned by some of the other teenagers. A tale of friendship and romance, this is a story you'll all love. Enjoy! :)
1. Left out

_**My third Rio fanfiction - Bia, Carla and Tiago are now early teens, and Roberto has a mate called Sophia (the pretty Spix's scorekeeper in Rio 2, and she's also featured in my other two Rio fanfics) along with four kids, Bromeliad, Isaac, Azure, and Orchid. While these four, alongside Carla and Tiago, easily fit into the 'cool kids', Bia is left out as an outcast. This is set after our favourite feathered family's first summer in Rio, after Rio 2. If you ask me, I think this could be a great storyline for the possible 'Rio 3'. Enjoy!**_

The sun glittered on the water of the hidden ravine, hitting the waterfall and sending little rainbows slicing through the air, dazzling colours. Giant Amazon water lilies scattered across the surface of the plunge pool, and several fish swam beneath its surface. In the background, there was singing and the middle of the ravine was alive with dancing blue birds, the males' faces painted red, and the females' yellow with the addition of their wingtips. On an overhanging branch on the edge of the plunge pool, a beautiful female Spix's macaw rolled her eyes, turning her mate around when he turned to fly."Wait a minute, you…" with a delicate talon, Jewel curled the red plant paint more around Blu's eyes, making it appear better. Nodding and smiling, Jewel picked up a yellow flower, using the pollen to make a pretty yellow pattern on her face and wingtips. Tucking the flower in the feathers by her ear, Jewel planted a kiss on Blu's cheek before she led the way to the dance.

Jewel and Blu made their way to the middle of the dance, 'Beautiful Creatures'. This dance and song never got old; it was ageless. Jewel remembered dancing this for the first time in years a few months ago, when she had been reunited with her tribe. Only then, she had been dancing then with her long-lost childhood friend, Roberto. She shouldn't have left Blu out, but she had been so excited to see her long-lost tribe again that she had forgotten about him in her joy. Now she was making up for it. She had taught him the dance properly and always partnering with him. Blu accidently made a wrong move, but Jewel quickly improvised it to stop it looking out of place, spinning into his wings.

"Thanks, honey." He whispered gratefully as they spun in the air. Jewel smiled warmly, before the couple spun in time to the music. Blu and Jewel waved a wing to Roberto as they danced, who waved back as he danced with his new mate, Sophia. Sophia had been the tribe's scorekeeper, and had been given the role when she was very young, only a bit older then Jewel had been at that time. She still was the scorekeeper, but now she was also the mate of Roberto and the mother of four beautiful chicks; eldest girl Bromeliad, the two boys, Isaac and Azure, and the youngest girl, Orchid. Sophia and Roberto had fallen for one another during the Amazon Carnival celebrations a few months ago, and within a few weeks they had become mates. Their four chicks had grown surprisingly fast, and actually looked close of age to Blu and Jewel's chicks, Bia, Carla, and Tiago. The three, alongside Roberto and Sophia's brood, had grown in the few months, and were now tall enough to reach Jewel's shoulders. Like how Roberto had become Bia, Carla and Tiago's 'uncle', Blu and Jewel had become Bromeliad, Isaac, Azure and Orchid's uncle and aunt. Blu and his family had just returned from Rio, as it was the end of the summer. After their defeat of the loggers, Blu and Jewel had agreed to spend summers in Rio. It had been a blast; since Tiago had lost his goggles, Carla her iPod and Bia her Amazonia book, they had got new ones in Rio.

Bia was now into more than non-fiction; she had had some trouble carrying a bag full of a mixture of non-fiction and fiction books. She had around either book now, a few of which over four-hundred pages long. She was reading a series called 'Divergent', which was, according to her, an amazing series. The other books were non-fiction, all about the rainforest and South America. She had one entire book on the whole of Brazil; the cities, sights, and the nature. One was dedicated to animals over the entire world, another was solely on Amazonian wildlife, and another was on the plants of the Amazon. Finally, the most slender book was solely dedicated to butterfly species, which were Bia's favourite animals. Bia had become even smarter than before, and was always dropping facts whenever she could. It seemed there was barely a plant or animal Bia didn't know about.

Carla had more songs on her new iPod than the one before, and her voice was really blossoming. Her singing voice had always been lovely, but now it was getting even better. She seemed fond of a song called 'Just a Dream', along with 'Only Love Can Hurt Like This', but now she was singing her own songs along with ones on her iPod. She was always singing the verses or humming the tune. Nico and Pedro were obviously more than impressed, and had been telling Blu and Jewel that Carla could be a star.

Tiago was growing into a handsome little bird, even though he still had those awkward downy baby feathers sticking up on his chest. It was probably a characteristic he'd have all his life, a significant feature. It did make him look very cute, though. Tiago was still as mischievous as ever, and still had that immature streak, but he wasn't too childish. He liked telling a joke and making a few pranks, and loved having fun like he always did.

The three kids flew over to join their parents, and were soon followed by Eduardo and Mimi, Jewel's father and aunt. Since the battle against the loggers, Eduardo had really warmed up to his son-in-law despite his quirks. He still found him a little irritating at times, but now he had accepted him. Eduardo had also forgiven Blu about the little error he made in the Pit of Doom. After the two tribes had worked together during the battle against the loggers, the hostility between the Spix's and Scarlet tribe had dissolved, and Felipe had even returned their section of the Brazil nut grove. Now, matches in the Pit of Doom were only friendly competition, for fun.

The dancing tribe spun down to the surface of the plunge pool, skimming off the water before flying back up, blue streaks. In the mass of macaws, Bia was dancing beside Carla and Tiago. She and her sister spun so that they were back-to-back, before Tiago popped up between them like he usually did. This part of the song meant that everyone had to find a partner. Bia looked around; Carla had paired up with a male called Augustus, and Tiago had partnered with Roberto and Sophia's youngest daughter, Orchid. She then spotted Orchid's brother, Azure, who didn't seem to have partner. He spotted her, began flying toward her, but then his older sister Bromeliad seized his wing. "I haven't got a partner, bro!" she said, spinning him away. Azure looked back at Bia helplessly. Whenever Bia saw a lone male, another female partnered with him. It was nearing the end of the dance. Bia desperately flew through the crowd, only to get knocked in the face by a wing. It was too late now. All she could do was quickly fly upwards and make it look like she had been with a partner. Bia shot upwards, throwing the yellow flower in her talons into the air above her. Petals and flowers showered down as the tribe cheered and congratulated each other on their performance. Carla and Tiago flew over to their sister, grinning merrily. Blu and Jewel enveloped their kids in their wings as they hovered in the air, and Eduardo and Mimi joined in the little circle. Bia smiled, but her eyes didn't carry the smile. She had never been left partner-less before. 

_Later_

Bromeliad, Isaac, Azure and Orchid flew through the air, accompanied by Carla, Bia, and Tiago. Their body paint still decorated their faces and the girls' wing-tips. Despite being a few months younger than her 'aunt' and 'uncle's' kids, Roberto and Sophia's brood looked almost the same age and were almost as big. Carla had her headphones in, her iPod clasped in her talons, and she rocked slightly as she flew. At the back, the book on butterflies hung from Bia's claws. This part of the territory was enormously populated by butterflies, and Bia had painted a tiny tick symbol on the corner of the pages for each butterfly, the ones she had seen. Bia was then distracted as an enormous butterfly fluttered toward them. "Woah!" she squealed, excited. "That's a…" she flipped through the thin book. "Turquoise emperor butterfly!" While the others's eyes widened in fascination, Bromeliad rolled her eyes, scowling at her adoptive cousin. Orchid squeaked. She, being the youngest, was the smallest of them all, at least a head shorter then Tiago.

"It's so… pretty!" she hovered some distance from it as it landed on a large flower, it's bright wings moving slowly up and down. Bromeliad landed on a branch above it.

"So? It's only a bug_." And_ _I'm tempted to squash it. _Thought Bromelaid to herself. Isaac looked at her, sighing.

"Total mood-kill." He muttered under his breath. "It's pretty, Bromeliad - it's not _just _a bug."

"Is to me." Retorted Bromeliad, too quiet for him to hear as the others admired the butterfly. Bia ran a talon through her face paint, making a tiny tick on the Turquoise Emperor page of her book.

"I've only got twelve more butterflies to find!" she said happily. "I just want to check if there's any more." The hazel-eyed teenager flew into some nearby flower trees, looking around for butterflies. When Bia was out of earshot, Bromeliad turned to the others.

"Doesn't she annoy you sometimes?" she asked, stunned. Carla and Tiago exchanged confused looks. Azure spoke up, looking equally puzzled.

"Not at all - why?"

"Nothing." She said quickly, before beginning to inspect her wing-tips innocently. Azure frowned, before returning to gazing at another butterfly.


	2. Memories and water-skiing

Roberto swooped through the air, a few strawberry guavas in his talons. He flew over the water, making a few fancy turns and flying on his back, before he flew toward his tree. It was the tree where he had accommodated Jewel and her family on their first days in the tribe, and they had moved into their own next door a few nights after the siege on the loggers. It had been his home since he was a new flier, the night when he had first joined the tribe. The memory of his human-filled childhood would never leave his mind, but now he was no longer of afraid of them. For years he had freaked out at the mere sight of humans, but now he wasn't afraid to attack them. Friendly humans were fine, like those two Jewel and her family knew, but loggers and poachers were a different story. Roberto called out to the family as he flew past their tree. "Hey, guys!" he greeted them, and he heard a friendly squawk from somewhere in the tree. Roberto lighted down in front of the entrance to his own nest, walking in.

"Sophia! Kids!" he called, looking around. He heard the patter of talons, and smiled at the sight of his mate. He wrapped a wing around her, and she giggled slightly when he kissed the side of her head. "Hi, sweetie." At that moment, there was the fluttering sound of small wings. The couple looked up and were met by the sight of their four kids. The boys, Isaac and Azure, had long crest feathers that flowed up the sides and backs of their heads. The girls, Bromeliad and Orchid, had slightly shorter ones that resemble that of their mother's, although Bromeliad's were slightly longer than her younger sister's. Isaac had light bluish-green eyes, Bromeliad had ocean-blue, Orchid possessed pale blue eyes, and Azure had the most unique. They were blue, yet what was more significant was the tiny dash of amber-gold in his left eye. Blu and Bia called it 'sectoral heterochromia,' where one part of eye was a different colour from the rest of the iris. Bromeliad and Orchid, like their mother, seemed to have a slight periwinkle tint to their feathers. Azure and Isaac had slightly darker ones, more like that of their father. Despite their differences, all four had the same attractive look as their parents did.

"Daddy!" Orchid nestled herself between Roberto and Sophia. Even though she was at the start of her teens, the little chick still tended to call her parents 'daddy' and 'mommy', while her brothers and sister usually called them 'dad' and 'mom.'

"Hi, Orchid." Roberto scooped up his daughter, nuzzling his beak against her forehead. Putting her down, Roberto turned to the rest of his children. He revealed the strawberry guavas. "You guys have never tried these, have you?" Isaac stepped toward the fruits, eyes bright with interest, poking at one them in curiosity. Azure picked one up, rolling it slightly before nibbling on it.

"Wow, it's really nice!" he exclaimed. He offered the strawberry guava to Bromeliad, who took it and began eating it. As the four teenagers began diminishing the fruit, Roberto picked one up in his beak, offering it to Sophia. Smiling dreamily, Sophia took it from him and began sharing it with him.

"You want to fly with me?" Sophia asked. Roberto nodded, before Sophia turned to their chicks. "Okay you guys, me and your father are going out. Do you mind staying here by yourselves?"

"Sure!" Orchid piped. "We can hang out with Tiago, Bia, and Carla."

"Great." Roberto smiled. "We'll be home later."

_Meanwhile_

Bia turned the page, her heart thudding. This part of _Allegiant _was very tense, but it was good. The faint sound of music was heard from Carla's room next door, and Bia occasionally heard her sister's voice as she sang along to the lyrics._ "__Oh, won't you stay with me? Cause you're all I need - this ain't love, it's clear to see, but darling stay with me…" _Bia wasn't as obsessed with music as Carla, but she did like that song. Putting her feather-bookmark into the page, Bia flew into her sister's room. "Can I listen?" she asked. Carla nodded, clicking the button that made the music play out loud. 'Stay With Me' began playing, and Carla began dancing, knowing Bia wouldn't mind. Carla danced rather like Jewel, using her wings. Bia was more of a rocking from-side-to-side dancer. "How do you dance like that?" she asked. Carla turned to her, smiling.

"Like this!" Carla exclaimed. She began teaching her younger sister her best dance moves, leaping and spinning, her wings thrown out and moving from left to right. Bia did her best to copy her, improvising any wrong moves. It was then that they saw a dark blue form worming his way into the room before spinning on his head.

"Hey, Tiago!" Bia greeted him. "Nice moves."

"Thanks - anyway, Bromeliad, Isaac, Azure, Orchid and some of the other kids are lily-pad skiing - wanna go?" he asked excitedly, flipping onto his feet. Carla paused the music, looking at Bia with excitement.

"Bia?"

"Sure!" Bia exclaimed. She hadn't really mixed with the other kids as much as Carla and Tiago did, so this was her chance.

_A few minutes later_

"Who's next?" asked Augustus. He was the son of Carlos and Manuela, the eldest of all the teenagers and their 'leader', so to say. He was also Carla's boyfriend, yet Carla wasn't telling Blu and Jewel just yet. Or Eduardo or Mimi; Mimi wouldn't keep her beak shut. Carla flew over to him, hugging him with her wings, and he slung one of his over her shoulders, smiling at her.

"I'll go!" Bromeliad barged past Bia. "Sorry, Bee!" she said, but her tone of voice showed that she didn't really care about almost making her fall off the branch.

"It's Bia…" she muttered in annoyance, as Bromeliad and another teen flew out toward the lily pads. As they waited, Bia brought out her Amazonian plant book, flipping through it. It was reminded her of her original _Amazonia _book, only it was much more detailed, informative and had no pop-ups. She remembered the day when they had been found by the tribe.

"_Get back here!" snapped Bia, frustrated by her little brother's antics. He had stolen her book yet again - he really drove her up the wall sometimes. She chased him through some ferns, reaching toward him, but he danced out of reach. "Tiago, you birdbrain - just you wait…" Bia then snagged her talons on Tiago's tail feathers and they tumbled to the ground. Tiago's goggles went flying, and Bia's book sprawled on the forest floor. Bia scowled at Tiago, about to speak, but then they heard squawks. They looked around, looking for the source of the sound. The sound of Jewel's voice reached them, but suddenly, there was a blur of brown. The two chicks cried out in shock as talons wrapped around them, carrying them swiftly from the forest floor. Bia and Tiago screamed, trying to alert Jewel. Their cries reached their mother's ears, then they saw a streak of blue._

"_No!" shrieked Jewel, her turquoise eyes full of panic. They had such a look of terror and rage that neither Bia or Tiago had never seen such a look. "Drop them!" Jewel screamed, flying as fast as she possibly could, her wings blurs in the air. Their snatcher ignored her, flying faster. Out of the corner of Bia's eye, she thought she saw a human - but they were flying too fast to get a clear view. Suddenly, after many moments and possibly hundreds of metres of flight, the brown bird dropped the two chicks, sending them sprawling across the leaves. Wings suddenly wrapped around Bia and Tiago, and Jewel swept them to her, trembling. Bia could feel her mother's racing heartbeat, and when she looked up, Jewel's eyes were wild with a mixture of relief and fear. "Are you hurt?" she demanded, but then there was a whistle of air. Rafael and Carla came flying, crashing to the ground beside them. Rafael groaned, dazed, and Carla stood up shakily, only to be swept into Jewel's hug. A few seconds later, Blu arrived, tumbling head-over-tail over the ground. His Swiss army knife came out of his fanny-pack, brandishing threateningly through the air. "Be afraid!"he cried. "Be very afraid…"_

"Carla!" a voice distracted Bia from the memory, and she looked up. Tiago's brown eyes were fixed on the entrance to the ravine. "Mom, dad, pop-pop and Aunt Mimi, 5 O'clock." Carla and Augustus immediately separated. Carla switched places with Tiago so that she was away from Augustus, beside Orchid and female called Eden, the daughter of Tobias and Isabella, who had been Jewel and Roberto's friends since they had all been kids. Tobias, Isabella, Carlos, Manuela, Sophia and two others called Trix and Catia had all hung out together with Jewel and Roberto when they were all kids. They were still friends now. In fact, Carlos had been one of the macaws who had brung Bia and her family to the tribe. He was the one who had started choking on Blu's box of breath mints, and he had recognised Jewel as soon as Eduardo had recognised her. Eduardo flew at the front of the group, Mimi on his right, and at the back, there was Blu and Jewel. Since the end of the Carnival celebrations, Blu had been using his fanny-pack less and less. Now, it usually lay on the floor at the edge of the tree's main hollow. It was mostly used for storing things, carrying food and generally annoying anyone who tripped over it.

As usual now, Blu's fanny-pack was nowhere in sight as he flew into the ravine. A Brazil nut was in one talon. Blu had recently grown to like Brazil nuts and the exotic fruit in the rainforest, surprisingly. Jewel was delighted by this, and was very proud of him for growing out of his reliance of human things. She was smiling warmly at her mate now, her wing-tips tracing the edges of his wings as they flew. Bia remembered their love story, as they had told them when they were little. It was rather funny, actually, and also very sweet and romantic. She wouldn't have thought that Jewel had attacked Blu on first sight, and that they had been chained together - and her father being unable to fly? She couldn't picture it. But what had really caught her attention in their love story was when Blu had sacrificed himself because he couldn't imagine life without his love. It was such a tragic and romantic image. Falling down toward the ocean, the breeze ruffling their feathers, and a kiss of farewell. A better love story than the Twilight Saga, which Bia had read before. She should have really taken those books with her. _Oh, well… I bet Manaus has a library somewhere; I can fly in through some window and grab the books. _Bia saw Eduardo, Mimi, Jewel and Blu land on a branch, watching the game with smiling faces. It was nice that they didn't want to embarrass Bia and her brother and sister in front of their friends; some parents rushed up to their kids and smothered them with cuddles, which was rather humiliating in front of others. Azure then gave Bia a small shove, pointing toward the water lilies.

"Come on, daydreamer!" he chortled. "Our turn!"


	3. Calling home

Tiago stuck his head into Carla's room, trying not to laugh and wake her up. He would have tried this on Bia, but she had gone out for some breakfast and a bit of reading. Just outside her nest, where a sleepy Carla wouldn't see it, was a vine. The vine went up the wall and was strung above the spot where she would climb out of her nest. The old water cup was hung above it, filled to the rim with cold water. It was Blu's, used when they had travelled to the Amazon for the first time a few months back, but now it was unused and just lie there in the almost discarded fanny pack. Tiago had taken the water out of a shady spot, where the water would be coldest. Surprisingly, the Amazon River could be cold in comparison to the stuffy air, and to someone used to the heat of Brazil, rather cool water could feel freezing. Tiago then opened a little wooden box he had gotten from Rio, and then four enormous flies buzzed into the room, hovering around Carla's head. Carla muttered in her sleep, swatting at the sound, but then one fly landed on her beak. Carla opened her eyes, and squeaked, swatting at it madly, confused by sleep and the four black blurs of flies. Tiago leapt out of the way as the four flies then flew out of the room. Tiago watched her talons stumble as she leapt out of her nest, and then Carla tripped over the vine. The movement sprung the waiting trap, and the cup of water immediately tipped, sending water onto Carla's head. Carla squealed in shock, leaping to her feet as the water drenched her. Dripping, Carla slowly turned to the door, where Tiago was laughing his head off.

"You'll pay for that!" she shouted, flying at him. Tiago turned, still laughing as he escaped through a hole in the tree-trunk. He high-winged Orchid, who had been watching from outside, and the two young teens flew off, giggling between them. Carla muttered in annoyance, fluffing up her feathers and shaking them out, sending droplets flying. Irritated, Carla flew out of the tree. She spotted seven forms, and recognised her parents, great-aunt, grandfather, sister, 'uncle' and 'aunt' Roberto and Sophia. The adults were talking about the weather while eating mangoes, while Bia, as usual, had her beak in a book. She was multitasking, eating pieces of mango and reading at the same time. "Morning." Carla said, landing beside Bia.

"Morning, Carla." Blu turned to his eldest daughter, and was repeated by the other macaws. Eduardo then noticed Carla's damp feathers.

"What happened to you?" he asked, and Carla fluffed out her feathers to dry them faster.

"Tiago playing another trick." She complained, and Blu and Jewel both sighed at once.

"He did another prank?" Blu asked, and Carla nodded. "Ugh, that's the second one today…"

"Second? What was the first prank?" Mimi looked up from her piece of mango. Under his feathers, Blu went red, and Jewel giggled, smiling sweetly at her mate.

"The same old spider trick." She pointed out, and more laughs rolled around the group. It was well-known that Blu hated spiders, and Carla could remember a particular incident when they were hatchlings; They had all been only a few weeks old, close to being able to fly when Tiago, not knowing Blu's fear of spiders, had brought an enormous spider into the nest. "Look what I found, daddy, mommy!" he had said, revealing what he had hidden in his downy wings. Blu had actually screamed, diving behind Jewel. Since then, Tiago had scared him with spiders countless times.

"I think Orchid was involved too." Carla said. Sophia rolled her eyes, Roberto chuckled quietly.

"Sorry about our daughter's behaviour." Sophia said apologetically, poking her mate in the ribcage when he kept laughing to himself.

"Yes, sorry…" Roberto said, stifling another chuckle. Carla wondered to herself.

"How did they figure out how to make that trap? It looked really complicated, all the vines and how it was set up…" then she slowly looked up. All heads turned to Bia, who was smiling innocently. "It was you, wasn't it?" Carla said quietly. "You helped them set it up."

"No." said Bia sweetly, with enormous, innocent eyes. Carla then rushed toward Bia. Bia was shocked at first, but then she realized that Carla was tickling her. "Ugh, sis!" she complained as Carla tickled her wing pits and stomach. "Stop it!" she laughed, kicking at her older sister. The adult macaws were laughing, looking incredibly amused as Bia flew after Carla, chasing her into the nearby trees.

_Later_

Bia, Carla and Tiago spoke into the phone. "Hey, Rafael, Nico, Pedro!" they chorused. The boat rocked, and the sound of humans chattering was clearly heard. Tiago had cleverly stolen a mobile phone from a human's back pocket, unnoticed. They always returned the phones to their owners, leaving them on a nearby table or dropping them into their bags when they weren't looking. They often did this to stay in touch with Rafael, Nico and Pedro when they weren't in Rio. Blu and Jewel sometimes did this too, and allowed them to go alone as long as they were, quoted by Blu, "_Very, very, extremely,_ _careful."_

"Hey, kids!" Carla recognised Nico's voice over the mobile.

"Is it poppin' in the Amazon?" Pedro's voice broke in, and the three kids could hear singing and music in the background.

"It's fantastic!" Tiago exclaimed. "Hot, but fantastic!" he then shot a mischievous look at Carla. "Oh - Carla's got a boyfriend."

"_Tiago!"_ snapped Carla, going ruby red under her cerulean feathers. Tiago smiled innocently, but all they heard was laughing on the mobile.

"Good for you, sweetie!" they heard the familiar sound of the toucan, Rafael. "What's his name?"

"Augustus." Said Carla, still scowling at Tiago.

"Nice guy?" asked Nico.

"Real nice." Carla replied, her embarrassment trickling away. "He's real sweet, loves music, great dancer. Not so much a singer, but his dancing's _swell."_

"Sounds great!" Pedro assured her. "Wait - do your mom and dad know?"

"No…" Carla bit her lower beak, looking at Bia and Tiago. "Gee, you guys do me a favour? Don't tell them, okay? I'll tell them eventually, just not yet."

"We won't say a word!" Rafael said. "Anyway - Bia, Tiago, how about you two?"

"Awesome!" Tiago blurted out. "Did we tell you that uncle Beto and aunt Sophia have got kids?"

"Yes, a lot of times." Nico chuckled. "Orchid sounds nice, you talk an awful lot about her."

"Do I?" asked Tiago, looking at his sisters, who nodded in unison. "Er - Bia, what's your story?" Bia moved closer to the phone.

"I've been learning a whole load of stuff - I've been reading loads of books. We've all been learning a lot more Portuguese from mom, pop-pop and aunt Mimi, too."

"Anything else?" Pedro asked. "You got your eyes on any boys?"

"Er…" _No. _"No, not really."

"Aww, that's a shame. Anyway, keep your eyes peeled, I'm sure some swell guy'll come along!" Rafael assured her. Bia felt hot with embarrassment as Carla and Tiago giggled.

"Thanks for the reassurance. How's Eva and the new kids, Rafael?"

"Ah, two more on the way already. In fact, here's my flower is now! Eva, my love - say hello to the kids!"

"Hi, kids!" Bia, Carla and Tiago immediately recognised Eva's voice. "I've been singing a lot recently - want to hear?" there was silence from Nico and Pedro, while Rafael started encouraging her immediately. The three kids exchanged looks of uncertainty, then their wings flew up to their ears as a loud squawking sound rang out from the phone. Tiago then leapt toward the speaker, making hissing sounds.

"I think the -" Tiago made the sound again, making sounds that more resembled a hoarse snake."- connection's going!" Carla and Bia then began joining in, making the same sounds.

"Oh dear!" cried Eva's voice. "Ah well, how about next time -" they made more hissing sounds before letting her carry on. "Caio, kids, hear from you all later! Come on, Raffie, I left Luiz babysitting, and knowing him, he'll get Tiny to take care of them!"

"Bye, kids!" shouted Pedro, Nico, and Rafael. "Call us soon, okay? We'll probably visit ya'll in the Amazon soon! Tell your family we said hi!" then Bia hit the 'end call' button. They all looked at each other. Then they crumpled on the floor, laughing.

"I can't believe you made it sound like the connection started to go!" Bia snorted with laughter. Tiago shrugged.

"Awesome, weren't it?"

"Cool, very cool." Said Carla, the smile on her beak almost too wide for her face. Then the three teens heard voices from above the deck. They had made the call beneath the deck floorboards, and now it sounded like the phone owner had realized that his phone was missing. "Let's return the poor fellow's mobile." The three snuck out from the floorboards, before dropping the phone on a nearby table. They then flew away as the owner spotted his mobile and put it safely back in his pocket.

_Later_

Carla was snuggled against Augustus, gazing up at the star-studded sky. She had one headphone in, and Augustus had the other one. 'All of the Stars' played in their ears. The edge of the sky was dark purple, while the rest was black. The stars were icy sparkles scattered over the cloak of black, like silver dust. Augustus was a tall, muscular and handsome young macaw, with the dark blue feathers of his mother, Manuela. He also had the little feather sticking up on the back of his head, like she did. His eyes were, however, the same colour as his father, Carlos. He mostly resembled his mother, really; only he obviously looked much more masculine, being a male.

"Do you miss your uncles?" Augustus asked. Carla looked up at him, smiling.

"I miss them a lot, Gus. We call, but Nico and Pedro think that I could be… well, famous, in the music business in Rio. New Year, Carnival… we see each other in Summer, and they told us that they'd come here at some point. They'll probably visit when there's no occasions in Rio."

"Is Rio nice?" Augustus asked, interest in his bright eyes. Carla smiled at the memories of her birthplace.

"It's… alive. There's humans, but under that there's a whole world of partying. With birds, no humans. New Year's Eve is the biggest party in the world other than carnival. Mom and dad told us that New Year's Eve for birds is celebrated in the Christ the Redeemer." Carla sighed. "I've never been there for New Year's Eve. I might go this year…"

"Could I maybe go with you?" Augustus then asked, looking down at her with his crooked smile.

"Yes… but then mom and dad'll know about us." Carla sighed again. Augustus turned her face toward him with his wing-tips.

"They'll have to know about some point." He reasoned. "Besides, what's the worst they'll do?" unexpectedly, Augustus leaned in, and kissed her. Carla had never kissed anyone before; she wasn't sure how the react. The pair then cuddled, Augustus's cheek resting on the silky feathers of her head and Carla leaning against him as 'All of the Stars' played in their shared headphones.


	4. The Race

Carla's iPod was playing, out loud, 'DJ Got Us Falling in Love Again'. Bia spun, her wings in the air. Her tail swished over the leaves, sending a few skittering over the hollow floor. Azure, Orchid, Bromeliad, Isaac and Carla were singing to the music, singing the main parts since they were the best singers. The other teens sung the other parts. Roberto and Sophia, both being talented singers, had passed on their gift to their kids, but Azure seemed the best of the four. Bromeliad suddenly lurched, stumbling as she danced. She crashed into Bia, making her lose her footing. "Oof!" Bia squeaked, beginning to fall, but then a wing flew out, catching Bia as Bromeliad continued to dance. Bia looked up at who the wing belonged to. She found herself looking at Azure. Like his father and brother, he had the sweeping curtain of feathers falling down on the back and sides of his head. His blue eyes were indeed strange, with their little dash of amber. But they were pretty, unique. Bia had never seen anything like it.

"Um… hi, Azure." Bia said, feeling awkward.

"Hey, Bia." Azure replied in a friendly voice. "Sorry about Bromeliad. She doesn't seem to notice when she makes mistakes." Looking around, they noticed that several others were dancing together. There was a long silence before Azure spoke. "It's rather boring, dancing by myself - wanna dance with me?"

"Do I?" Bia asked. "Cool! I mean - sure." Azure smiled, pulling her to standing instead of lying in one of his wings. As they danced, Bia realised that she had never gotten the chance to really speak to Azure. This could be her chance to make another friend. She wasn't really friends with anyone 'popular', so to say, other than Orchid, Augustus, and her sister and brother. "So… isn't 'Azure' a shade of blue?" Bia said as Azure twirled her in time to the music. Azure nodded.

"Yup - isn't 'Bia' short for 'Beatriz'?" he asked. It was true; Bia's full name was 'Beatriz', only that was her full name. Since she had hatched, she had been called 'Bia' all the time. 'Bia' did sound cuter than 'Beatriz'.

"Yes, actually - how'd you know?"

"Well, I heard your mom talking to mine about you and Carla and Tiago, like where you guys all hatched, and how she and your dad came up with names. Wasn't yours tied between 'Beatriz' and 'Bianca'?"

"That's right - they couldn't decide which one, so then they realized; Bia's a nickname for 'Beatriz', Bia is the first three letters of 'Bianca.' It was the perfect compromise." Azure chuckled a little. "Your eyes are really… unique." Bia mumbled after a long silence.

"Really?" Azure's eyes flickered with surprise. "What did you and your dad call it? Sec…"

"Sectoral heterochromia." Bia confirmed.

"Wow." Azure stared at her in a mixture of admiration and wonder. "You're smart, aren't you?"

"I try." Bia shrugged. "I guess I'm like my dad…" after a pause, she looked up at him. "You… don't think I'm _- too_ smart, do you?"

"Obviously not." Azure assured her. "Why do you ask?"

"Well…" Bia remembered a look Bromeliad had given her yesterday. She had simply been talking about a jaguar; it had been black, which was a trick in the genes of the jaguar, but Bromeliad had been scowling at her as she listened. Why? Bia wasn't sure, but Bromeliad clearly wasn't fond of her. "Your sister doesn't seem to like me much."

"I assume you mean Bromeliad?" Azure groaned. "Sorry about her. She's the eldest, and because of who our mom and dad are, she's basically stuck-up and spoilt. In her mind, the world revolves around her."

"Oh… okay." Bia said. The song than finished. Carla clapped her wings, plugging the headphones back into the iPod and holding it under her talon.

"That was fantastic, guys!" she cried, looking happy. "Well done! Anyone fancy going to the Brazil nut grove?" murmurs of agreement spread through the macaws. Bromeliad suddenly turned to Bia.

"Gee, Bia - don't you want to read? I haven't seen you reading for a while…" she said in a casual voice. Bia tipped her head to the side.

"That's fine, I'll just bring the book with me -" but then Bia remembered. "Oh, it's a bit heavy…"

"Why don't you stay here?" Bromeliad then suggested in her most casual voice. Bia was about to reply; it seemed like Bromeliad didn't want her to come. But then Azure slung a wing around Bia.

"Nah, she's coming with us." Azure turned to her. "Right?"

"Yes." Bia nodded enthusiastically. "I'll read later." Bromeliad smiled sweetly.

"Great - let's go." But when Bromeliad turned, she was scowling. She then saw some other, extremely popular teenagers. "Actually, I'm going over there. Anyone wanna join me?"

"I'm good." Carla shrugged. "I'll probably chat to them later." Isaac, Tiago and Orchid, however, joined Bromeliad.

"We're not hungry." Said Tiago, grinning. "We might bug ya'll later, though." Within a minute, Carla and Augustus had changed their minds and were joining the others.

"Azure, Bia?" Isaac turned to them. "You two going?" Azure turned to Bia. "I don't mind; I'm happy doing either." Bia considered it. Two friends-ish, on an awkward outing to a grove of Brazil nuts, or a group of popular other kids, who Bia needed to socialise with to climb up the social ladder? _Who am I kidding?_

_Later_

_Good job socialising, Beatriz. _Bia thought to herself as she sat on the edge of the group, feeling incredibly awkward. Carla was playing her iPod out loud, 'Pills N Potions', while Tiago was telling jokes and making the popular kids laugh. They were the centre of attention. What was she doing? Sitting there and making the occasional comment. Bromeliad was now telling a hilarious story about a turtle swimming off with her Brazil nut. Her back was to Bia, and she stood directly in front of her, blocking her out of the conversation. Noticing that Bia was left out, Carla then fluttered over, putting a wing around her younger sister, and brought her to stand near her, Augustus, and Azure. Azure nodded in a friendly manner at Bia, who smiled back. Despite now being in the circle, Bia still wasn't being noticed by the others. Bromeliad seemed to be seizing all the attention.

"How about a race?" suggested Isaac after Bromeliad had been speaking for over ten minutes straight.

"Great idea!" Cassandra exclaimed. "Let's go!" within a minute, the group of macaws were lined up at the end of the ravine, aiming to be first to get to the other end. Bia felt incredibly nervous. Some of the others were incredibly fast compared to her. "Go!" shouted Augustus. The group sped off, blurs in the humid air. Tiago flew at the front, whooping and boasting that he was going to win. Carla was a few places behind, wings beating the air fiercely. Bia was close to the back. With her small wings, she couldn't fly as fast as her brother and sister. Now, the muscles in her wings were being strained as she pushed herself to go faster. They were half-way there, and now their parents and family members were cheering them on.

"Go on, Bia!" shouted a voice, and Bia recognised it as her father's. Jewel, Mimi and Eduardo were beside him, shouting the same thing. "Go for it!" but Bia's wings were beginning to really hurt. She was getting slower; Bromeliad streaked past her, and then she squawked loudly, squealing that she was going to win. The loud, sudden noise distracted Bia, and her ears rung. She slowed, her wings rubbing her ears, but then she realized that she was now last. Gasping, Bia streaked after the other kids, but then they reached the end. Bia was last.

"Aww, too bad, Bia!" said a male, called Cruz. "Fly a bit faster next time!" he, along with Bromeliad and several others, laughed loudly. Bia blinked, feeling hurt. Carla and Tiago's eyes flickered to them, looking unsure what to say or do. Azure winged forward, hovering beside her.

"Hey, come on - everyone did well! It's the taking part that counts!" he then said, but most of the others didn't look convinced. Instead, they gathered around Bia's brother, congratulating him for winning. Bia looked at her talons, feeling down. Azure frowned at her. "You okay?" he asked in his soft voice, concern flashing in his eyes.

"Fine…" she said quietly. "Just… a bit… disappointed." Azure then looked at the others, before looking back at Bia.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"A bit… why?"

"Do you maybe want to come to the strawberry guava trees? Just you and me?" Bia thought about the offer. She looked back at the others, who were now talking about another race. _I don't want to be embarrassed again! _

"Sure, let's go - can you wait for me there? I'll be a minute."

"Okay." Azure nodded, before flying out of the ravine. Bia turned, biting her lower beak as she looked at the others. She flew over to Carla and Tiago.

"I'm just going out to the strawberry guava grove with Azure, okay?"

"Sure… I'm sorry." Tiago looked guilty. "We should have said something to them…"

"No, it's okay." Bia said, although she would have felt better if the two had defended her. "See you later."

"Sure." Carla said, looking guilty like Tiago. "Bye." She then handed Bia her iPod. "You can borrow it, if you want - an apology. Just don't lose it." Bia's talons closed around her sister's iPod.

"Thank you, sis."


	5. Break up

"'What You Wanted?'" Bia asked, looking at the song by OneRepublic on Carla's playlist. Azure tipped his head to the side, his crest feathers tickling Bia's shoulder. Bia was rather petite for a macaw her age; Azure was several inches taller than her, and she had to look up to see his face. He was several months younger than her yet was taller and looked her age.

"I haven't heard of it - want to listen to it?"

"I guess it's worth a listen." Bia handed him a headphone, putting the other in her own ear and hitting 'play'. As they listened, Azure reached out to a branch, plucking a strawberry guava with his beak and putting it on the branch beside Bia.

"Thank you." She said, not expecting the kind gesture. She picked up the strawberry guava, taking a bite as Azure took one for himself.

"So, what's your story?" asked Azure, leaning against a tree trunk. "Dad and mom have told us about you and your familia, but not into detail. I know you were born in Rio - what was it like?" Bia thought back to her childhood fondly.

"I was hatched in an aviary, which is where humans take care of birds. We weren't pets, but since humans thought Spix's macaws are pretty much near extinct, they had to be safe and keep watch on us when we were eggs. Mom and dad were obviously always there, and they allowed them to tend us like birds do naturally; they just made sure that they weren't neglecting any of us. My mom and dad would never do that, though, obviously. Anyway, I hatched three minutes and twenty five seconds after Carla and three minutes before Tiago. After we hatched, we were moved into mom and dad's old nest, which is now our summer home. Mom and dad would tell us all about where they grew up - mom grew up here, but she didn't go into much detail because I think it upsetted her. After a few months of her hatching there was fire, smoke, and she spent many years alone until she was found by humans. I think my dad was born in the rainforest, because he used to tell us that he remembered a song, and dancing when he was a chick. But he remembers being raised in some place called Minnesota. There was snow..." Azure then looked baffled. Bia then remembered; he had never heard of snow in a place like the Amazon rainforest. "It's cold white powder that falls from the sky, apparently. He was raised as a pet, but he's not a pet anymore. After new year's eve, we heard about reports of a Spix's macaw sighting in the Amazon and ended up coming here. We met the tribe, and ended up living here after several events…"

"Yeah, my dad told me about when you guys arrived. Okay - my turn. I was born third, after Bromeliad and Isaac. In the years since your mom vanished, my dad actually had feelings for my mom. He once loved Jewel, but a few years after, he and Sophia began to bond. Dad was born in Manaus…" his voice became quieter. "And it was living hell for him. Humans would torture him, and he was kept in a tiny cage and force-fed crackers. He escaped, though, and he was rescued by the tribe. As for mom, she's several months younger than him. Born and raised in the tribe, and she's been a scorekeeper since she was a teenager. It was during the Amazon carnival celebrations that they really began to fall in love. I was hatched a few weeks after you and your family went on vacation back to Rio. That's pretty much my story." There were a few minutes of silence as they listened to the new song playing, 'Fix You.'

"Oh, I love this song…" Bia said, half to herself and half to Azure. "I don't love music as much as Carla, but this song…"

"It's… nice." Azure mused, listening to the tune and the lyrics. He began singing the words under his breath. _"Lights will guide you home… and ignite your bones…" _Bia twisted her head, looking at Azure, fascinated. He sounded like his father and mother did - his voice was clear and beautiful.

"Nice." She commented. Azure turned his head, smiling at her warmly.

"Thanks - my mom and dad gives all us singing lessons. They noticed that we had all inherited singing when we were little, and they offered us practise to improve it. It was well worth it." Azure then looked at her again. "Can you sing, Bia?"

"Um… no." In honesty, Bia had never tried assessing her singing voice. She had sung a few times, but it wasn't as good as Carla's voice.

"I highly doubt that." Azure said confidently. "Try singing something. Anything." Bia bit her lower beak, uncertain whether or not she wanted to. She hadn't sung to herself in a while… _The worst that could happen is that he'll say it's awful… but I don't think he'd say anything like that. _Bia cleared her throat, before singing out a four-note in a sweet, clear voice. Azure nodded, and used his wings to say that she should carry on. Bia then went on to sing lyrics from a song, slower than the actual song tune.

"Lately, I been, I been losing sleep… dreaming about the things that we could be." Forgetting the next part of the song, Bia sung onto the verse she remembered. "I feel the love, feel it burn, down this river, every turn, hope is our four letter word. Make that money, watch it burn." Feeling that this was enough, Bia looked up at Azure. "Awful, wasn't it?"

"Awful?" Azure stared at her in bewilderment. "It wasn't awful! It was cute!" Bia looked up, surprise in her hazel-brown eyes.

"Really? Are you serious?"

"Absolutely!" cried Azure. "It's really -" he was then cut off by a distant sound. The two macaws turned their heads toward the source of the sound, yet their view was cut off by trees. The sounds were voices, both were stressed, and sounded familiar.

"You're such a _jerk!"_ shouted the distant voice. "How could you say that about me? _Me?_ _Your own girlfriend! _How dare you!_"_ Bia stiffened. That was Carla's voice, and she had never sounded so angry. She looked at Azure slowly, having a terrible feeling in her gut.

"Oh no." whispered Bia.

"Carly!" protested the other voice, which they recognised as Augustus's. "I'm sorry! They were pressuring me, I didn't know you were listening - I don't really think that, honest!"

"Liar!" shouted back Carla, accusingly. "If you really cared about me, you wouldn't say that!"

"I do care about you, Carla -" Augustus began, only Carla swept on.

"You wanted to spend New Year's Eve in Rio with me? As if!" Carla' voice kept breaking off, and it sounded thick, like how you got when you were upset. "You never cared about me; it was all _Augustus, Augustus_. In your world, the earth revolves around you, not the sun!"

"Please, give me another chance, I promise I won't -"

"We're _through,_ Gus! Get out of my sight! Don't you come _anywhere _near me again!" Carla screamed at him, and then there was silence. Bia and Azure stretched their wings, but they didn't need to; Carla suddenly appeared from some branches, looking furious. Her cheeks were damp from angry tears, and more were streaming from her eyes. Bia rushed over, and immediately swept a wing around her older sister.

"Carla, what…?" she asked, eyes enormous. Carla looked up at her, bright green eyes bloodshot and shiny with tears. Bia had never seen her sister look so angry or upset.

"They started talking about me!" her voice kept breaking off as she began crying. "Cruz and Cassandra… I-I was just around the corner, and they s-started telling Gus that they thought I was…" Carla stammered a few times before spitting out the word. "F-fat!" Bia gasped, horror flowing through her.

"That's horrible!" she gasped. She was about to say something else, but Carla swept on.

"He _agreed, _the little jerk!" she spat. "Gus agreed with them! After all he's said to me, how beautiful I am, how much he loves me!"

"Fat?" spluttered Azure, staring, open-beaked. "You're not fat, though!" it was true. Carla wasn't exactly skinny, just a little chubby. But it was what made her _Carla - _her round shapes and slight plumpness made her look absolutely adorable. Bia couldn't picture her being any thinner - she was perfect just the way she was. Bia was jealous of her sister, actually, with her looks, and she heard some of the boys talking fondly of her. Carla's eyes then flickered down to the iPod.

"I'm so sorry, can I have that back now? I really need to listen to something." Bia, knowing Azure wouldn't mind, immediately passed it to her sister, who seized the headphones, putting them in her ears and scrolling through a list of songs. These songs were her 'feel-good' songs that cheered her up. On this particular list was 'Beautiful', 'Bridge of Light', 'Just the Way You Are' and several other songs. "I'm sorry, I need to go home."Carla then turned, flying away, sobbing. Bia's wings clasped over her beak. She looked back at Azure.

"I'm going after her, sorry. I'll talk to you later."

"That's okay, you go." Azure nodded, eyes full of understanding. "I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"Okay." Bia then flew after her sister. "Carla, wait up!" Bia could hear the faint sound of loud music from Carla' iPod, even over the chattering of birds and animals in the nearby strawberry guava trees. The music was fading, though; she was flying too slow. Bia glared sideways at her small wings. "Hurry up, wings." She muttered. Bia swooped under a branch and folded in her wings quickly to squeeze through some vines, but then she crashed into someone. She squeaked, not expecting it, and found herself staring into Augustus's face, which was full of guilt. For a moment, Bia said nothing, but then her face twisted into an expression of outrage. "You're _awful,_ you know that? You think _popularity's _more important than Carla?"

"No!" he protested. "None of the others are thinking it, it was just Cruz and Cassandra -"

"Whatever!" Bia held up a wing, tempted to slap him, but stopped herself from doing so. Carlos and Manuela would be angry that she had hit their son. "Leave Carla alone - I hear you talking about her like that ever again, I'll get my pop-pop to talk to you!" at this, Augustus seemed to shrink in fear, and his talons shuffled with discomfort. Eduardo's temper? It was equivalent to snake venom. Bia scowled at Augustus before spinning around, and flying after her older sister. 


	6. Dealing with it

Bia arrived home, and was about to fly over to her home tree when she noticed Manuela and Carlos. Nearby tribe members were watching the scene, curiosity in their bright eyes. Carlos and Manuela were towering over their son, looking furious as they spoke to him. Augustus was wincing with every word, but Bia couldn't hear what his parents were saying to him. Bia could only guess what it was about. Meanwhile, Blu, Jewel, Eduardo, and Mimi were perched on a branch outside Blu and Jewel's tree. All of them looked terribly worried about something. Bia flew over, hoping to hear their conversation. As she landed, the four turned around to see her.

"Bia…" Mimi began. "Something horrible has happened with your sister and…"

"Augustus." Bia said automatically, looking over her shoulder at her sister's ex-boyfriend. "I know. She's had a boyfriend for ages now. She would have told you all, but she was frightened of your reactions."

"You knew?" Jewel asked, surprise lighting in her turquoise gaze. Luckily, neither she nor Blu looked angry at this news, only surprised.

"I knew as well." Said a voice from the hollow, and Bia recognised Tiago's voice. The dark blue macaw flitted out from the little hole in the tree trunk, which was close to Carla's room. He landed beside Bia. "She didn't want to tell you." Blu and Jewel exchanged stricken glances when they heard Carla let out a sob from the tree. Eduardo hadn't spoken, but he was glaring across the ravine at Augustus and his angry looking parents.

"Would you all care to excuse me for a minute?" he asked. He stretched his enormous wings, and then lofted off the branch. He began flying across the ravine, closely pursuited by Mimi.

"Wait a minute…" Mimi was protesting. "There's no need to -" too late. Eduardo had already landed on the branch Augustus, Carlos and Manuela were on. Carlos and Manuela turned around, looking both nervous and angry. Eduardo was now glaring down at Augustus, Mimi close behind, who looked anxious.

"Now." Said Eduardo. "Would you care to explain to me as to why you said those things about my granddaughter?" Manuela then flew into her hollow.

"I'll let you all talk to him, I'm not good at these things, and I have eggs to tend to." The two were expecting another brood; there were apparently two eggs in their nest.

"I'm going over there." Said Jewel, but Blu blocked her with his wings, looking alarmed.

"Honey, your dad's got it under control. Let it go…" secretly, Blu wanted to do the same as Jewel - he wanted to march over there and confront Augustus for hurting Carla's feelings, but to be fair, he knew that there was too much anger directed at the teenager. And arguing wasn't in his nature.

"That kid insulted my daughter!" Jewel craned her neck over her mate's wings, her eyes full of resent as she looked at Augustus. "I've got to say something!"

"You can say something later." Blu suggested, and at this, Jewel settled for it, although she looked reluctant.

"Fine, fine…" Jewel said, tearing her eyes away from Augustus to look at Blu. She then flew into the hollow, calling to her eldest daughter. "Carla! Would you come out, dear?" yet she reappeared a minute later, looking incredibly frustrated.

"She's refusing to leave her room." Tiago sighed, wings crossed.

"Leave me alone!"cried a voice from Carla's room, but she didn't appear.

"Sweetie…" Blu said in a soft, gentle voice. He walked toward the hollow opening. "Please, we're not angry with you, we're worried for you. Please, come outside." There was silence, and then, after a few moments, Carla slowly appeared, looking stiff. Blu sighed with relief.

"Thank goodness." he scooped up Carla, who nuzzled against her father's chest, sniffing. Jewel then rushed up to them, wrapping her wings around the both of them. They were then joined by Bia and Tiago, joining in a family hug. After several moments, they released one another from the hug, although they stayed close together.

"Are you okay?" Bia asked, and Carla looked up at her. She had stopped crying, but her eyes were still dark and puffy-looking.

"I'm fine…" she whispered. "Just… really…_ angry."_

"Be as angry as you like. No one could blame you." Blu put a wing around her, worry returning to his warm brown eyes. Jewel then turned Carla's face toward her own with a wingtip.

"Carla, you listen to me, right now. You don't listen to what anyone says about you. You are perfect - just the way you are. You are not fat, you're perfect. Hear me?" Carla didn't look convinced, but was looking down at the plunge pool, which lay beneath the over-hanging branch they perched on. She was looking at her reflection, eyes running over her shapes.

"Carla - I can tell you now, you're not fat." Bia said in a confident, honest voice. Carla's dense, fluffy feathers made her appear a little bigger than she was in addition to her slight chubbiness, but as Bia had thought earlier, it made her look cute.

"There you go, then!" Tiago said eagerly, nodding at Bia's statement. "Bia's the smartest kid I know, so it's true!"

"You know what I think?" said a new voice. They turned to see Mimi, who had returned from trying to convince her younger brother to leave Augustus be. Eduardo was still talking to Augustus, but it was likely his angry statement was coming to an end, as he had stretched his wings, preparing to fly. Mimi squeezed past Jewel so that Carla could see her. "I think they're jealous. Carla - you have everything a young macaw could ever want. You're a singer, a dancer, a looker - they're okay-looking, but Cruz isn't the best at dancing, and Cassandra isn't exactly that flawless at singing. But you, dear - they're jealous of you. They just came up with an excuse to try and knock you down, but I'm telling you, they've failed." Bia looked back at Carla, and was surprised to see that a smile had appeared on her beak. Carla then ran past them, and threw her wings around her great-aunt, who smiled warmly and wrapped her own around her. Blu put a wing around Jewel, and the look of worry in their expressions had gone. Bia and Tiago smiled at each other. Eduardo then flew back, landing heavily on the branch. The six macaws stiffened when they saw Augustus standing beside him.

"Augustus has something to say to you." Eduardo said to Carla, and he gave Augustus a small shove. Augustus looked down at his talons, before looking behind him. Across the ravine, Carlos and Manuela were visible, wings crossed and they nodded their heads.

"Carla… I'm really sorry for what I said about you. It won't happen again, I promise you. I understand if you don't want to speak to me again, but can you at least forgive me?" all eyes turned to Carla. Carla's eyes were narrowed, and she still looked incredibly angry. After a few moments, she finally spoke.

"I'm not sure if I can forgive you. But I will try to, okay?"

"Okay." Augustus reached out with a wing, but folded it back when Carla didn't reach out to shake it. He then turned, and tore away over the ravine, disappearing into his home. He ducked past Carlos and Manuela, who mouthed 'sorry' before disappearing into their tree. It was then that they spotted Cruz and Cassandra on a tree nearby, laughing about something, not noticing the family in the tree. Jewel looked at her father, whose feathers had risen.

"I've got this one." Before anyone could stop her, Jewel had flown down to the two teens. Cruz and Cassandra turned around, and then the laughter stopped abruptly. Terror entered their eyes as Jewel towered over the two, shouting her anger as they shrunk beneath her angry glare. "You think you can say those things about my daughter? What cheek! Let me tell you something… if you say something about any of my kids again…" stunned, the family turned to Eduardo, whose wings were crossed, a smile on his beak.

"That's my girl." He said proudly. At that moment, there was a whistle of air as Roberto and Sophia lighted down beside them. Bia noticed Bromeliad, Isaac, Azure and Orchid on a nearby branch, watching Eduardo arguing with Carla's ex-boyfriend. Bromeliad looked rather guilty; if she hadn't tried to socialize with kids like Cruz and Cassandra, Augustus wouldn't have said such a thing about Carla. _Funny, _thought Bia to herself. _Whenever she embarrasses me she doesn't look so guilty._

"Mind if we ask you guys why Ju-Ju is on a warpath?" Roberto asked, blue eyes on Jewel and the two kids. 'Ju-Ju' was Jewel's nickname Roberto often called her by. Blu sighed, turning to Roberto and Sophia and beginning to explain the situation.

"I don't blame her." Mused Sophia. "If anything like that was said to my kids…" she then turned to Carla. "Don't you listen to anyone like those two. They're jealous."

"That's exactly what Mimi said." Bia looked at Mimi, before all the macaws watched Jewel continue with her confrontation.

"Maybe someone should stop her now…" Tiago began suggesting, but Eduardo shook his head.

"Nah, let her have her say." He said to his grandson. Finally, after several tense minutes, Jewel finally finished her say to Cruz and Cassandra, flying back up to her family and sweeping Carla into her wings, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

_Later_

"You are beautiful… in every single way." Bia stopped outside Carla's room, hearing her sister singing to herself. "Words can't bring you down… oh… you are beautiful, today…" the tree had a main hollow and several rooms, perfect for a family of five; Blu and Jewel shared a room while the kids had one to themselves. The tree had roots and climbing plants climbing up the inside of the tree trunk, making perfect perching spots outside the rooms. Flowers and plants were nestled in the little niches and pockets of the tree trunk. Roberto had given them advice on decorating their nest when they had moved in, and the formerly ordinary looking tree now looked lovely. Bia turned to her brother when he landed on the root beside her.

"You think she'll be alright?" she asked Tiago, who nodded, opening the moss curtain a little so that they caught a glimpse of their sister. "She'll be just fine, sis. I'm going to bed, now - good night, Bia."

"Good night, Tiago." Bia waved a wing to her younger brother as he flew into his own room. She flew up to her room, which was highest in the tree. Several pretty stones and shells sat on a ledge in the wall, which acted like a little shelf of sorts. Bia's books were stored in another hollow adjacent to her room; the hollow wasn't exactly pretty enough for living space, so it was a good place for her to keep her books. It was dry and had enough room. Bia slept in a large, dense niche a few inches off the room floor. It was comfortable and filled with moss and down. She flew up to her nest, and snuggled down into the moss, drifting off into sleep.


	7. Rising tension

Bia yawned, stretching her wings up above her head. Rubbing her hazel-brown eyes, she hopped out of her niche and walked lightly across the room like she usually did in the morning. She paused, turning to the wall, and picked up one of the stones on the ledge; a smooth, perfectly white pebble. She rubbed it once, before putting it back. She often did that in the morning, for luck. Bia then glided down from her room, landing on the sandy floor of the main hollow. The fresh footprints in the sand told her that Carla and Tiago were already awake, and when she walked out of the tree, she found her sister and brother. They were talking to Eduardo and Mimi.

"So, where are mom and dad?" Eduardo and Mimi exchanged knowing looks when Tiago asked them the question.

"It's a surprise." Said Eduardo. "They'll probably be back in the late afternoon or maybe early evening. Morning, Bia." The leader of the tribe smiled at the sight of his youngest granddaughter, who replied sleepily.

"Morning, pop-pop, everyone… so mom and dad aren't here, then?"

"Nope." Mimi shook her head. "You three have the day to yourselves - go out have some fun." She then turned to Carla. "How are you, dearie?"

"I'm fine." Carla shrugged, but her flat tone of voice suggested that she was angry and hurt by Augustus's actions yesterday. She had trusted him, but then he had betrayed her. It could take some time for her to recover completely. After a few minutes of talking, Eduardo and Mimi flew off to talk to Roberto about patrolling. Since Linda and Tulio had made this section of the Amazon a sanctuary, less patrolling was needed, but it was still in place to ensure that poachers, loggers or smugglers weren't trying to get into the sanctuary. Tiago turned to his older sisters.

"Breakfast, anyone?" the three siblings flew off out of the ravine, disappearing into the dense jungle. They then halted when Augustus and Carlos appeared from ahead, some twigs in their beaks. They were probably collecting nest material for Manuela's clutch of eggs. The trio stiffened, and so did Augustus.

"Morning, Bia, Carla, Tiago." Said Carlos around the twigs in his beak. Augustus nodded awkwardly at them.

"Carla." He said, stiffly.

"Augustus." Carla replied in a curt voice. There was a long, tense moment, before Carlos gave his son a nudge.

"See you three." He said, and the father and son flew toward the ravine. Bia and Tiago looked at their sister, who fluffed out her feathers.

"Come on." She muttered. They passed over the border, arriving in the Scarlet macaw territory. While the borders were still in place, trespassing no longer had consequences; any macaw was free to wander in the other territory, and the Brazil nut grove was free to all. The kids weren't in search of the Brazil nut grove, however; they were in search of the camu-camu grove. Camu-camu was a special fruit in the Amazon that was hard to come by, but there was a large grove of it near the heart of the Scarlet macaw territory. For years it had been completely off-limits to the Spix's macaw tribe, but now it was free. They arrived in the grove, and were greeted by several Scarlet macaws that were already there. Waving back, the trio and plucked some of the camu-camu fruit before flying into the branches of a nearby tree.

"Did you know that camu-camu is one of the fruits richest in vitamin C?" Bia asked, and Carla and Tiago shook their heads. "Camu-camu provides over fifty times more the vitamin C you get in the average orange. It helps protect the nervous system, helps your vision, and protects against several diseases."

"Sweet." Tiago then bit into a camu-camu fruit. "I remember drinking some fruit juice of this back in Rio… where'd ya learn that?"

"It's in a book I read when we were on vacation - it was on Fernando's book shelf, _Fruit of Amazonia." _Bia had basically read almost every book in Linda, Tulio and Fernando's cottage, whether it fiction or non-fiction. She'd cried over books like _The Fault in Our Stars _and_ Looking for Alaska, _and been intrigued by books about the natural world and fossils. On their next trip she'd probably look in Linda's library, which had opened in Rio a few months after Blu and Jewel had become mates. After the three siblings had a few camu-camu fruits, they flew back to the ravine in search of something to do. When they arrived, they heard their names being called. Roberto and Sophia's kids were waving at them.

"Hey, cousins!" shouted Isaac. "Over here!" they flew over, landing on the same branch.

"Hi, Bia." Azure greeted her. He then whispered in her ear. "How's Carla?"

"She's feeling better now." Bia whispered back. "Hanging out with you yesterday was cool - want to do it again sometime?" _Did I really just say that?_

"Awesome!" Azure's eyes brightened. "I'd love to, I really would." Isaac, Bromeliad and Orchid were gathered around Carla and Tiago; they were asking Carla how she was feeling.

"I'm fine, honestly…" she said, shrugging. "Still pretty angry, though."

"Not surprised!" exclaimed Bromeliad. "If my boyfriend did that to me…"

"How about we change the subject?" Orchid said, shuffling her small talons. "I don't think Carla wants to talk about her ex."

"Too right." Carla nodded. "Gus can screw off for all I care. What we doing today?"

"I'm the mood for something that gets the heart going." Tiago said. "How about we play chase? One of us is the first chaser, then those who get caught turn into chasers too. The winner is the last one to get caught."

"That sounds fun!" Azure stretched out his wings. "Who's gonna be chaser?"

"How about you, Bia?" Bromeliad turned around. Bia stubbornly crossed her wings. Something was telling her that Bromeliad was doing this on purpose - she knew that she wasn't very fast because of her small wings. _Is she trying to humiliate me on purpose?_

"No. You saw what happened in the race yesterday." Bia then narrowed her eyes, remembering why she had lost, in addition with her small wings. "Oh, and thanks for squawking in my ear - because of that, you made me slow down and look really awful at racing." There was a horribly tense moment. Bia herself couldn't believe that she had said such a comment. Bromeliad stared at first, shocked, and then the stare turned into a scowl.

"No need to get snappy, Bee." A new comment was already in Bia's mind, and she couldn't stop herself saying it.

"Do you have a mild hearing problem? There's an 'a' behind the 'be'. Repeat after me: Be-a. My name is _Bia, _not _Bee._" Bia said in the bravest voice she could muster, but her pluckiness evaporated in moments when she saw the look on Bromeliad's face. Bromeliad stepped forward so that she was standing almost beak-to-beak with Bia, and she wasn't trying to hide the dislike in her blue eyes. Bia, being rather on the small side, was a centimetre or so smaller than Bromeliad despite their age difference of a few months. Bromeliad's head feathers, despite how much they resembled her mother's, were spiked, just like her father's did when he was angry. She was standing on tip-toe on her long talons, making her appear taller than she really was. Her wings were slightly spread and her feathers were puffed out.

"Look here_, Bia,_ my hearing is perfectly fine. Why don't you got and read another book about butterflies - " Bromeliad then smiled innocently. "- nerd-bird?"

"_What_ did you just call me?" Bia's feathers spiked very suddenly, and hurt and anger flowed through her. Tears threatened her eyes. She seemed to have inherited Jewel's sensitive streak; she got easily upset and her emotions escalated quickly. For the first time in her life, Bia's claws itched to scratch Bromeliad's face, to wipe the smug look off it.

"_Enough!"_ snapped Isaac. He glared at Bia and Bromeliad, looking incredibly annoyed. "Cut it out, you two. There's been enough conflict as it is recently." He looked from Carla to Augustus's tree. He reached between Bia and Bromeliad, pushing them apart with his wings. Seething, Bia spun round, wings crossed, turning her back on Bromeliad. Azure walked up to his older sister, whispering to her in an angry tone of voice. Orchid, Carla, and Tiago came up to Bia, concern flashing in their eyes, asking if she was alright.

"I'm fine." Bia snapped, feathers fluffed. She then saw the surprise and stung look on Carla, Tiago, and Orchid's faces, and realized how hostile she sounded. Bia looked at her talons, guilt burning through her. "Sorry…"

"It's okay." Orchid said quickly, and looked at Bromeliad, where Isaac and Azure were talking to her in angry voices. After several minutes, Isaac and Azure turned around, leaving Bromeliad with crossed wings.

"Right - Tiago, you're fastest - you are the chaser." Azure said in his most casual voice, to hide to anger from his talk with Bromeliad. Happy to forget the conflict, Tiago smiled, and stretched his wings.

"Wait, are we going_ right_ _now?_" Carla asked, surprise in her voice. Orchid flew past her.

"Fly!" she squealed, a small blur. Bromeliad shoved Bia aside as she went to flee, and she went tumbling off the branch. Bia was too shocked to react, but then there was a streak of cobalt. Azure's talons caught one of her own, stopping her from falling into the water of the plunge pool.

"_Obrigado!"_ Bia exclaimed, pushing herself into flight as he let go of her talon.

"_Seja bem-vindo!"_ Azure replied, before swiftly pointing up. Tiago was diving toward them, talons outstretched as he went to tag them. Bia swerved to the side, so he dove straight past her. Azure beckoned her. "Come on!" Azure flew away, Bia rushing to follow while Tiago darted through the air after them. Tiago then swerved to fly toward Orchid, who was close by and nearer in his reach. Azure then turned to Bia, grinning. "I don't want to slow you down - until we meet again in a few minutes_, adios!"_ he then turned, and winged away. Bia stared after him, her heart bouncing in her small chest, before speeding off. In the branches above, someone was flying as fast as they could; Bia recognised the periwinkle-tinted blue feathers of Bromeliad. Bia dived down toward the forest floor, not wanting to run into the macaw who seemed to dislike her so much. She skimmed the forest floor through the ferns, and for once, her small wings provided an advantage; they may have slowed her down, but they didn't stir the ferns as much as larger wings would. Maybe she wouldn't be caught. She heard the excited cries of her friends and two siblings above as someone was caught, becoming another chaser alongside Tiago. Bia knew that she couldn't hide in the ferns for long; they could only stay in this small area of the forest and fly in the open area of the plunge pool, so they'd soon notice the slight stirring of ferns as someone flew beneath their cover. Sneaking a glance through the spreading fern leaves, Bia saw Tiago, Isaac and Carla flying toward Orchid and Azure; Isaac and Carla were now chasers too. Tiago really was fast; the game had only been going on for about thirty seconds and already he had tagged two macaws. Carla's green eyes then moved to the ferns Bia was hiding under.

"Someone's down there!" she crowed, and then she, Tiago, and Isaac began flying downwards, accompanied by recently tagged Orchid. Bia immediately turned tail and fled under the fern leaves. Just as the four birds pierced the cover of ferns, she escaped, flying into the air, a burst of blue. Azure streaked toward her, talons reaching for her. _Of course - they left him here in case I left the fern cover. _Bia then performed a complex flight-trick, to her own surprise; as Azure's wing stretched forward, Bia ducked, swerving under his wing, missing his touch by millimetres, and swooped out from under the wing, flying into the above branches. Azure was shouting toward the others below, that now she and the last player were somewhere in the branches. Who was left, other than herself? Then it struck Bia. _Carla, Tiago, Azure, Orchid, Isaac… Bromelaid. _Bia flew into some branches that were close together, but then there was flash of periwinkle-tinted blue. _Orchid? Azure? _Along with his sisters, Azure too had the slight periwinkle tint to his feathers, only it was fainter than that of his female relations and mostly present in his chest and sweeping head feathers. Yet the figure was too large to be Orchid; it was Bromeliad.

"Give up, short-wings!" Bromeliad said in a teasing voice that was strained and high-pitched from being out of breath. She looked exhausted from flying so quickly. Bromeliad then squawked loudly beside Bia, before flying straight up, escaping through the tree canopy. She had totally revealed Bia's location, and now she was cheating; the rules had been that no-one could be above the treetops, so now no one would look for her there. But then a voice rang out, and Bia recognised it as Tiago's.

"Bromeliad's cheating!" he shouted from somewhere close by. He had obviously seen Bromeliad evading capture by cheating, and now Bromeliad was out.

"Bromeliad is disqualified!" cried Orchid's voice. "Bia wins the game!" a wing then reached through some vines, sweeping Bia from the air. Bia gasped in surprise, but then she relaxed when she realised it was Carla, her eyes happier than they had been since yesterday's events.

"Congratulations, Beatriz!" she crowed as the others gathered around her, congratulating her. Bromeliad appeared from the tree canopy, her talons clenched. Anger and frustration sparked in her eyes, and she didn't congratulate Bia.


	8. Happy birthday, kids

Bia sat on the branch next to Carla and Tiago, re-reading _Divergent. _Roberto and Sophia had called their brood to come home, as it was getting rather dark; Bia, Carla and Tiago were still awake because they were awaiting the arrival of Blu and Jewel. Bromeliad had flown off in a foul mood while her siblings apologised for her behaviour. Azure had taken Bia privately to one side and asked if she wanted to meet him in the morning for a trip to the Brazil nut grove with him, to which she had happily agreed. An outing with Azure would be fun, and she was still stung from Bromeliad's snide comment of 'nerd-bird'. Tiago was swinging from an above branch that was a few inches away, upside-down while Carla's head rocked slightly as she listening to music. Blu and Jewel had been gone since the end of last night, and it was now around afternoon, according to the little pocket watch Blu kept; the watch hung from the wall, the long chain winded several times around a stick jutting out of the wall. Wanting to brighten her mood, Bia looked up from her book. "Carla, Tiago - in this book, there's five groups based on personalities. Abnegation is selfless, Amity is kind and peaceful, Erudite is smart, Dauntless is brave, and Candor is honest. Which ones do you think you would be and why?" her two siblings looked up from their activities; Carla took out her headphones, which had been playing up recently, and Tiago turned his head, still swinging from the branch.

"I think that I'm dauntless." Tiago said confidently, continuing to swing from the branch. "I'm really brave, you've seen me riding a reha solo!" That was about right; even in the battle against the loggers, he had been fearless about driving the tree harvester and battling humans, despite how young he had been.

"I remember that." Carla said fondly. "I think I would be Amity." That was true, as well - Carla was kind, and in _Divergent, _they were also fun-loving and loved music and celebrations. That was definitely Carla. Bia knew what she would be.

"Awesome. I'm -"

"Erudite." Tiago and Carla said at once. The three siblings looked at each other, and laughed.

"Yeah, I'm definitely erudite. Dad… he might be… candor, maybe?"

"Yeah, he's rather honest. But I think he's probably erudite, maybe a hint of dauntless somewhere. Mom and pop-pop are dauntless." Carla agreed. "Is there anyone we know who would be abnegation?"

"That's selfless, right?" Tiago asked, and Bia nodded. "How about… Mimi?"

"Maybe…" Bia and Carla nodded. Bia then remmebred something. "But then Abnegation don't really care for their appearance, and that's definitely not Mimi. She's always got that face mask when she's chilled out. Maybe candor, instead. What about Roberto and Sophia? Amity?" their conversation was interrupted by the sound of wings. They looked down, and saw multiple forms flying into the main hollow. They couldn't see them clearly in the dimness. There was a few murmuring voices, all of which were familiar. The quietness was then broken with their names being called.

"Kids, come in here!" Jewel was calling them. The kids exchanged wondrous, excited looks.

"They're back!" Tiago exclaimed, excitedly. "I wonder where they went?" the three kids flew into the tree, flying down and arriving in the main hollow. A hundred questions were in their minds for their parents. For the first time in a long time, Blu was wearing his fanny-pack, yet now, he was putting it back on the floor. The trio ran to their parents, who lovingly swept their wings around their three children.

"Hi mom and dad!" Bia greeted them happily. "Where were you?" Blu and Jewel smiled at one another, knowing in their eyes.

"We've just come back from Manaus." Jewel said, and then she smiled at Blu. She then remembered what had happened the other day, and looked down at Carla. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Carla shrugged. "Still a bit annoyed, but not too bad." Satisfied with the answer, Jewel looked at Blu, nodding, and he smiled down at the three kids.

"Do you three know what today is?" he asked. Bia, Carla and Tiago exchanged confused looks, shrugging at one another.

"No." Tiago said, head tipped to the side. Blu then unzipped the fanny pack, taking out something and hiding it in his wings.

"This time last year… you three had just hatched. It's your first birthdays." The three chicks's beaks dropped.

"Really?" gasped Tiago, looking stunned.

"Really." Jewel nodded. "And to celebrate, we've taken a trip to Manaus and gotten you all a few things." As much as Jewel was still irritated by human things, she was glad that her mate's dependency on them had decreased. She reached into the hidden things in her mate's wings, and turned to Carla. "We noticed that your headphones have started to get a bit odd." Carla nodded, looking incredibly annoyed at the thought.

"Yeah, one's gone funny, it makes a weird ringing noise when I listen…" at this, Jewel then put a coil of pale pink on the ground. It was new headphones, in pink this time.

"Thank you!" squealed Carla, throwing her wings around both her parents.

"These ones are top-notch, according to your father." Jewel struggled to breathe through her daughter's embrace. "They should last for ages, and they're prettier then the white ones." After that hug, they turned to Tiago.

"Okay, we know you don't read a lot, but we think that you'll love this book." Blu handed something to his son; it was a joke book. Tiago grinned as he looked at the cover, opening the book and looking over some pages.

"Wow…" he said in an interested voice. "Thanks!" finally, Blu and Jewel turned to Bia, putting something in her talons.

"Now you can keep your drawings." Jewel smiled warmly. It was a book, full of blank pages - for drawing. There was a pencil, sharpener, and eraser included. Now, she could draw whatever she liked. She could draw butterflies, her surroundings, write down things.

"Wow…" she said, looking up at her mother and father with excitement in her eyes. "Thank you so much!"

"We've also got some final things for you." Bia noticed a glint in Blu's wings when he spoke, and then he unveiled three simple silver chains. On each one, there was a pretty, smooth little piece of translucent gemstone. One was green, as green as Carla's eyes; another was a bright shade of amber; the last was a white with sheens of blue. Bia knew all of them by name from a book on Linda and Tulio's bookshelf.

"Oh, the green's emerald, the orange is amber, and the last one is moonstone, right?" she said, looking up at her parents, who all nodded.

"They're supposed to be bracelets for humans, but for you guys, they're better as necklaces. Pick one for yourselves, kids - no fighting over who gets which." Blu said. Luckily, there was no fighting. Carla had immediately fallen in love with the emerald, as it suited her eye colour, and Tiago dived onto the amber because he noticed that there was something frozen in it.

"Hey, it's a bug!" he said, pointing at the insect. Carla was slightly disturbed, and took a step back; she didn't like insects much. Bia had her heart set on the moonstone; blue was her favourite colour, and the blue sheen was gorgeous. She looked down at her moonstone, touching her talon to the cool, smooth surface. It looked ever so pretty. It had worked out perfectly, and as they cuddled their parents, Blu and Jewel's eyes flickered to the hollow entrance.

"There's also one last thing. Seeing that the New Year isn't for a few months yet, someone decided to come to the Amazon for a few months." Jewel smiled, and then she and Blu turned around. Four figures came flying into the room. A Toco and a Keel-Billed toucan, and a Red-Crested Cardinal and a bright Yellow Canary with a bottle cap on his head - Rafael and his mate Eva, and Pedro and Nico.

"Uncle Rafael, Nico, Pedro and Aunt Eva!" the three siblings exclaimed. Their wings flew up in the air, and they flew toward their adoptive uncles and aunt. The trio were enveloped by wings and greeted with warm smiles.

"Look at you all!" exclaimed Rafael, grinning. "You've grown already, and it's only been a few weeks since you departed from Rio!"

"How are you kids?" Nico asked, after Carla had released him from one of her famous hugs.

"We're awesome!" Tiago was bouncing on the spot, like he was a chick again. His new amber necklace bounced a little on his chest as he hopped up and down. Bia then realized that Pedro was waiting to hug her, wings outstretched expectantly. She ran forward, and she hugged him.

_Next morning_

"If it isn't the city boys." Eduardo said when he saw Rafael, Nico and Pedro. "Oh, and girl, I apologise." He said when he noticed Eva, who looked a little offended.

"If it isn't Jewel's old man -" Nico began, but then he quickly realized hat 'old' might not be taken the right way by Eduardo. "Not literally old, but you know what I mean." His brown eyes flickered up to the bottle cap on his head as he remembered when Eduardo had taken it off him, for it had been a human object. Luckily, he had returned it after a change of heart.

"Nice to see you again." Mimi said warmly, and then there was a new voice.

"Tiago?" Orchid fluttered down, landing beside him, the curiosity on her face obvious. Pedro turned to her.

"Are you Orchid?" at his question, Orchid nodded. "Ah, Tiago's told us a lot about you." At this, Tiago went red.

"Ugh, Pedro…" Tiago muttered in embarrassment, while Orchid simply giggled. Behind Orchid, Bromeliad, Isaac and Azure arrived, accompanied by Roberto and Sophia.

"So this is Sophia?" Eva asked when Roberto's mate extended her wing to shake it with Eva's. "Lovely to meet you."

"You don't seem as frightening as Nico and Pedro said you was when -" Behind Eva, Nico and Pedro frantically shook their heads, eyes wide with terror. Sophia's eyes widened as she realized her mistake. Eva turned around, blinking.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing." Said Sophia quickly. "They were talking about…" she turned to Rafael, Nico and Pedro for help.

"Oh!" gasped Rafael. "We were talking about that… Nigel? Yes, that's the guy, not you, Eva." He glared at Nico and Pedro, obviously not happy to hear what the duo had been saying about his beloved Eva. At the mention of Nigel, Blu and Jewel exchanged dark looks, and Blu's feathers rose a little. He still had nightmares about the cockatoo sometimes. While Rafael, Eva, Nico and Pedro started talking to Roberto, Bia felt a nudge on her wing. She turned, to see Azure standing there.

"We still going to the Brazil nut grove?" he asked. Bia was momentarily confused, then she remembered. That he had invited her out last night.

"Sure, let's go." Azure then spotted her moonstone necklace.

"Love your necklace." He commented. "It's really pretty."_Just like you are, _Azure stopped himself from saying out loud. Bia smiled gratefully.

"Thank you; let's go!" Saying goodbye to the others, Bia and Azure flew out of the ravine.


	9. Warmth

"Ugh, has it ever been this hot?" Bia asked Azure, turning her head to look at him. He shrugged his shoulders, briefly pausing in the air to shake his feathers to cool down a little. He pushed his crest feathers away from his face in another attempt to cool himself. The Amazon was hot, but now it was exceptionally warm. Heat sizzled off the surface of the river below them; they were flying a few feet off the surface, and the sun glared down on their backs. Bia flew closer to the water, her wing-tips skimming the surface of the river. She dipped in her left foot, and water sprayed up, sprinkling onto her feathers. Unfortunately, the water wasn't as cold as she had hoped it was, but it was still rather cool. "Try that." She suggested, and Azure did the same. Even after, the water droplets on their blue plumage were already drying in the sun.

"Let's get to the Brazil nut grove; it should be shady." Azure said, and Bia nodded in agreement. They flew into the cover of the tree line, the shade of the tree canopy relaxing the glare of the sun. They passed Felipe and Azalea. Talking to them was Roberto and Sophia, in dense conversation. The two pairs had always hated each other, until the battle against the loggers. Now, their rivalry had dissolved, and they were actually good friends.

"Hi mom, hi dad!" Azure waved at his parents as they passed by.

"Hey, Azure!" Roberto waved back, and so did Sophia, before they returned to their conversation with the Scarlet macaw leader and scorekeeper. "I've never remembered it being so warm - so the next match is tomorrow?"

"That's right, buddy." Felipe confirmed. "Hope your players are top-notch! We've got new blood in our team - young, but they play like a dream." Felipe often spoke in rhymes.

"Really?" Sophia asked. "We've got some, too - Azure and Tiago, Blu's son - they're joining." Bia turned to Azure, surprised to hear this. She knew that Tiago had been recruited - he had been boasting of it for days. But Azure had never mentioned this.

"You're joining the team?" she asked, excitement in her voice. Azure nodded, equal excitement glowing in his eyes.

"Just as a first substitute. I'm actually gonna be the youngest player-slash-substitute yet. Glauco's still insisting being last substitute."

"Seriously?" Bia couldn't help but giggle. Glauco was probably one of the oldest of the Spix's macaw tribe; his feathers were bedraggled and graying, and his beak was chipped in places. He also had a tendency to fall off whatever he was standing on.

"You bet." Azure scoffed alongside her. "I don't think the old guy plans on ever retiring. According to my mom and dad, he's been a player since before your mom was born, and even then he looked really old. I wonder how old he really is?" the pair landed on a branch in the shade, and Azure reached up, pulling down a Brazil nut and cracking it open. He put it on the branch between them. "Want to share?"

"Yes please." Bia took a piece from the broken shell, chewing on it thoughtfully. She swallowed, before looking up at Azure. "So, soccer - that's what we call it in Rio - is it difficult? I mean, I've never played but I've watched it. Tiago and dad are rather good players - dad's in as well, but obviously our players are going to make sure he shoots the right goal…" Bia remembered that unfortunate first match, where Blu had accidently hit it into the wrong goal and costed them their side of the brazil nut grove. They did get it back, and Eduardo and the other players had forgiven him.

"It's not too hard - dad's a great player, and he taught us how to play it ages ago. Isaac's good as well, but I'm pretty quick. Bromeliad and Orchid can't play to save their lives... but then Eduardo dropped in one day to see dad about something, and he saw me play. He was really impressed." Azure then picked up a bit of Brazil nut, and began kicking it from foot-to-foot while Bia watched, impressed. He really was fast; his talons were blurring slightly as he swiftly kicked it through the air. Finally, he kicked it fiercely and it flew into a pool of water that had collected in a niche in the tree branch. At this, Bia leapt into the air, wings thrown up.

"Goal!" she announced, and Azure smiled widely with amusement and triumph. "That was… _really _good."

"Glad you think so." He flew up to her, sweeping a wing around her, to Bia's surprise. But she liked it - it was nice to be friends with someone like Azure. He was kind, sweet - he could sing, dance, and he was… incredibly handsome. Bia's heart skipped a bit as she looked at his face.

"Kids!" called a voice. Sophia and Roberto were flying toward them, looking excited. "You guys want to come back? There's gonna be another 'Beautiful Creatures' before the game tomorrow!"

"Really?" Azure looked up at his parents. "Great! C'mon, Bia!" the duo lifted their wings and began following Roberto and Sophia. Bia then remembered what had happened on the last Beautiful Creatures dance. She flew up to Azure.

"It doesn't matter if you totally don't want to, but… could you dance with me, when we have to pair up with someone? Last time… I was kind of left out."

"You were?" Azure asked, a note of surprise in his voice. "How could anyone leave you out? Of course you can pair with me!" he brushed his wing against hers, and Bia felt warmth tickle her wing when his wing left her's. She smiled widely.

"Thank you."

_Later_

Hanging her necklace from her room ledge, Bia flew back out. Carla and Tiago had suggested it to her, in case it dropped off during the dance. Joining Azure, they flew up to a branch where there was red plant paint for the males and the yellow flowers for the females. The song was beginning as tribemates began the first part by painting themselves and dancing on the giant water lilies. Bia picked up a yellow flower, printing some pollen on her wing-tips. She then used her talon to draw pollen onto her face, arching it around her eyes and making a delicate, pretty pattern. Azure used the plant paint to paint his own face, striping the red around his beak, over his cheeks and around his eyes. He turned around, and blinked.

"Wow." He remarked, eyes wide. The pollen really outlined her pretty hazel-brown eyes, and added even more warmth to her face.

"_Obrigado." _She smiled back, before picking up a flower in her talons. At the end, females threw the flowers into the air. Now, the tribe was gathering over the plunge pool. Augustus went to fly over to Carla, but she turned her back on him, refusing to dance with him. With a sigh, he retreated into the crowd of macaws. Blu and Jewel flew out, accompanied by Roberto and Sophia. Behind them were Bromelaid, Isaac, and Tiago and Orchid. At the sight of Bia, Bromeliad disappeared into the crowds. "Ugh." Bia murmured when she saw her fly off.

"Don't worry about her." Azure soothed. Bia nodded reluctantly, and she flew toward her family to begin dancing; they were soon joined by Rafael, Eva, Nico and Pedro, despite how out of place they looked, not being Spix's macaws. She sang along to the song, dancing alongside her sister. Carla's voice rose above the rest, and she was thrown appreciative and admiring looks. Augustus couldn't take his eyes away from her, and Cruz and Cassandra were dancing as far away as possible, looking both envious of Carla and frightened as Jewel's eyes raked over them. Mimi distracted her niece by passing between her and her sight Cruz and Cassandra. By now, it was time to pair up. Tiago flew straight up to Orchid, while Carla was in no trouble for a partner; several males were asking her to dance with them. She eventually picked Bruno, who was a sweet guy and the son of family friend Isabella. His slightly rounded face gave him a cute-looking quality. He was honest, loyal, and was warm to everyone who spoke to him. Bia then got a tap on the shoulder, and turned to see Azure. Relieved, she took his wing and was whisked away to dance. They spun and came back-to-back, turning their heads to look at each other's faces. Azure still had his crooked smile during the entire dance. It was last part now, the lyrics fading to the music. Bia spun and fell back into Azure's wing, and they both twisted and threw out their wings. Finally, they flew upwards, Bia throwing the yellow flower in her talons into the air. The tribe began cheering and high-winging.

"You danced great, Azure." Bia commented, smiling widely.

"You weren't too bad yourself." Azure complimented his face alive with joy. "You danced really well." _You were flawless. _

_Later_

Some of the teenagers were having a soccer match of their own; the girls versus the boys. Bia hovered before the girls' goal, heart fluttering. She had volunteered to be goal keeper since no one else wanted to do it; now she was incredibly nervous. The mini-match was taking place in a small clearing with four trees, which stood on each end of the clearing in pairs. Two trees were at one end, and the other two at the other end. They served as goals, the spaces between the pair of trees was where the ball went.

"Go on, Bia!" shouted an encouraging voice. Carla perched in the surrounding tree line along with some other teens, her headphones in yet her eyes on the game. Tiago, Isaac and Azure were playing on the boys' team, alongside Bruno, several others and to Carla's disgust, Augustus. On the girls' team, there was Bia as goal keeper, of course, and some other females, including Bromeliad. It seemed strange that Bromeliad was in the team when she, according to Azure, 'couldn't play soccer to save her life'. Now, the girl team was gathered to discuss tactics.

"Alright," said Andrea, the daughter of Antonio, who happened to be one of the tribe's soccer players. "While most of the boys are strong, we're faster. We can take and defend the ball easier, and we can defend our goal better." Andrea shot an excited look at Bia.

"You'd better save the goals, Bee." Muttered Bromeliad, close to her ear. Bia jumped, and was about to retort, but then there was a squawk.

"_Vamos, vamos!" _cried Kai. "Places!" the team players departed to their places. Andrea flew up to the middle to meet the captain of the boys' team, Azure. Since they didn't have the coin-toss bird, the 'heads' and 'tails' was forgotten. Instead, the ball was dropped from above them. Azure looked around Andrea, smiling at Bia. She gave him a wings-up mid-air, and then the two captains looked up. Kai dropped the fruit ball, a plum, and the game began. Bia watched, waiting and dreading the time when one of the boys came toward her with the ball. Bromeliad got hold of the ball, and ducked under Tiago when he flew toward her. Unfortunately for her, as she kicked the ball, Isaac dropped in and took the ball. He was getting closer to the goal now, and Augustus was ahead of him. Isaac called to him.

"Gus!" he kicked the ball. Augustus turned, catching the ball, and began approaching the goal. Bia gulped. Carla was watching, disgust-filled eyes fixed on her ex-boyfriend. Gus kicked fiercely. Bia gasped as the plum came soaring toward her, a purple-black blur through the humid air. She flew forward, wings and talons outstretched; the plum landed in her outstretched wing, not reaching the goal. Her team cheered in triumph as the boys groaned. Cheering rang from the audience, and Carla's wings pumped the air. Orchid, who was their score keeper, picked up a stone, signalling a goal. They would have used Brazil nuts, but no one could be bothered to fly all the way there. Azure scored a goal for his team, but while the girls shrugged, comforting Bia by saying that he was a great player, Bromeliad began complaining.

"You_ so_ could have saved that." She muttered, but her complaints were dismissed by the others.. After several goals for each side, Bia switched places with a teammate to become a normal player. The ball flew past her and over her head, narrowing missing the side of her head at one point. Then Andrea shot the ball toward her; Bia was closer to the goal, with a better shooting angle. Bia managed to grab the ball, and she flew toward the goal, ducking as Tiago tried to intercept and take the ball from her. She was now at a good point to shoot. She kicked as hard as she could. Bruno's wings reached toward it, but his wing-tips skimmed the plum; it shot past his wing and through the two trees.

"Another goal for the girls!" announced Kai, and Orchid triumphantly held up another stone.

"Nice!" Andrea clapped, eyes warm as she looked at Bia. Even the other team looked impressed. Bia high-winged her teammates, including Bromeliad, but the moment their wings connected, Bromeliad's wing drew away. When the game came to an end (the boys won), the Amazon was beginning to get dark. The teens began departing to go home, before their parents came to find them. Before she, Carla and Tiago left, Bia flew up to Azure.

"Good luck tomorrow."

"Thanks, I'll see you in the morning." Azure paused before flying off with his siblings. "Okay?" _Okay? _That word was associated with one of Bia's favourite fiction books, _The Fault in Our Stars. _She smiled at Azure.

"Okay."


	10. The match

"Uh…" Bia groaned when she heard a familiar voice. "Aunt Mimi?"

"Wake up, kids!" shouted Mimi's voice from somewhere in the tree. Bia got up, and fell out of her niche.

"Ouch." She muttered when she fell onto the hollow floor, flat on her face. Like her father, Bia wasn't really a morning macaw. Blindly, she fumbled around her hollow wall until her wings brushed over her moonstone necklace. Once she had it around her neck, she peered out of her room. Below, Carla was emerging from her room, yawning. Briefly, Bia wondered where Tiago was, then she remembered that he was on the team for the match. Fluffing out her feathers, Bia flew down to the hollow floor, where Mimi was waiting.

"Morning, little'uns." Mimi greeted once Carla had joined Bia. "Your dad, brother and uncle are already at the Pit of Doom with the other team members to get ready - we'll have a spot of breakfast and then we'll go there with the tribe." _Aw, man - I couldn't see Azure before the match. Oh well - I'll tell him good luck when we get there._

"Where's mom?" asked Carla, rubbing her eyes and stretching out her wings.

"She's outside with your pop-pop." Mimi said, before extending a wing toward the hollow exit. "Shall we?" the two sisters followed their great-aunt outside, and followed her across the ravine to Eduardo's home, which was probably the second-largest, after Roberto's.

"Morning!" Eduardo said cheerfully at the sight of his granddaughters and older sister. Before the peace between the two macaw tribes, he would have usually been tense and frustrated at the thought of a match in the Pit of Doom, but now he was fine about it; it was for fun, and no one lost anything at the end of it. Jewel waved at Mimi and the two girls, stretching out her wings and hugging Bia and Carla as they landed. Jewel moved aside, revealing several star fruits.

"Eat up, we're leaving soon." She said warmly. After Bia and Carla had finished eating the star fruit, Eduardo called the tribe together.

"_Vamos, todos!" _

_Later_

Bia, Jewel and Carla quickly flew down, flying as fast as they could. Mimi would have joined them, but she was saving their places on their ledge. Eduardo was talking to the other teammates about tactics, occupied. Jewel and Carla reached Blu, Tiago and Roberto first, landing beside them. Bia lighted down, stumbling a bit before she stood steadily. Jewel wished Roberto luck, and then hugged Tiago, murmuring that she was proud of him and that he was do well in his first game. Finally, Jewel and Blu shared a hug and a kiss before Jewel flew back up to where Mimi was waiting.

"Hi, girls." Blu turned to his daughters, smiling with both excitement and nerves of the oncoming match. Bia and Carla quickly threw their wings around him, and then Tiago. Then they heard the call for the teams to move to the middle of the pitch, a pool of water and a series of rock piles and columns, and plants.

"Good luck!" Carla and Bia said together as the team prepared to go.

"Thanks girls, we'll see you and the others afterwards." Roberto smiled at them, and then he, Blu, Tiago and the rest of the team lifted their wings, flying out. Carla nudged Bia, indicating toward Azure, before flying up to her place. Bia ran to Azure, as the game was about to begin and she should go back to her viewpoint.

"When or if you go on, good luck." She hugged Azure, looking up into his face, before somewhat reluctantly pulling away and flying up over her tribe mates, landing beside Jewel, Carla, and Mimi. Azure gazed after her, before tearing his gaze away. On Mimi's other side, Bromeliad, Isaac and Orchid were cheering enthusiastically for their father, brother, and mother. Sophia waved at them from where she perched beside Azalea and a pile of Brazil nuts.

"It's on in the Amazon!" said a voice. They turned, to see Pedro. Nico, Rafael and Eva were close behind, and the four landed beside the family.

"Sorry we're a bit late." Rafael apologised. "We're not really early risers."

"No need, you got here just in time." Jewel replied. "We didn't wake you guys, sorry."

"It's fine!" Nico chirped. "Just glad Eduardo shouted at everyone before you all left, or we'd still be asleep." Finally, all eyes turned to the main rock column.

"If it isn't my brother from another mother!" Felipe crowed as he reached the column, landing in front of the Spix's team captain, Roberto, who grinned. They turned to the referee.

"Heads." Said Roberto.

"Tails." Said Felipe. The referee tossed a small form, and she landed on the rock between the two captains, her tail in the air. She dropped the fruit ball before fleeing from the rock column. Felipe kicked the ball, and the game began.

"Go, uncle Beto!" shouted Bia and Carla as Roberto managed to get hold of the ball. On Mimi's side, Bromeliad, Isaac and Orchid cheered for their father while Sophia looked on with excited eyes. Roberto ducked as Felipe tried to take the ball from him, and he flew forward, swerving around red macaws. The annoying commentators, a porcupine and a tapir, were talking in very fast and loud voices, so much that Bia found it a miracle that the tapir never lost his voice.

"_Roberto, Carlos, Tiago, Blu, Antonio, Mario -" _the tapir was naming all the team players. Carla sighed, turning to Bia while the tapir continuing naming the players.

"Ugh, we already know their names…" meanwhile, on the pitch, Roberto was nearing the goal.

"Carlos!" he called, seeing his friend in the corner of his eye. Carlos nodded, talons outstretched, and Roberto kicked it to him. Carlos began dribbling toward the goal, where Blu was flying fast.

"Blu!" Carlos kicked, and Blu caught the ball before turning to face the goal. His eyes were critical as he looked at the goal; yes, it was definitely the right one. He didn't want a repeat of his first match. Blu then kicked fiercely, and the fruit ball whizzed toward the rock arch. The red goalie flew at the ball, but it shot over her wing, shooting into the target.

"Goal!" cheers swept through the Spix's tribe and its team. The team members high-winged Blu, congratulating him on his goal. Sophia picked up a Brazil nut, dropping it onto the ledge above her and Azalea.

"Whoo! Go, dad!" Bia and Carla leapt into the air, their wings thrown out. Mimi hopped a little on the spot, cheering alongside Rafael, Eva, Pedro and Nico, while Jewel blew her mate a kiss. On the bottom rock ledge, Eduardo looked relieved. The ball was retrieved and the match went forward. Antonio, Andrea's father, almost made another goal but Felipe intercepted, preventing another goal. Felipe swiftly travelled over the pitch, a red blur, and scored for his team. Bia sighed, kicking the stone beneath her as Azalea marked the goal. Then, the team's youngest player got hold of the ball. Bia and her companions watched him, nervous and hopeful as Tiago darted about, swooping under vines and around rock piles. He was incredibly fast, faster than Felipe, who was considered very speedy. The goal keeper never saw it coming, it was so quick; Tiago shot toward the goal, and then the score was made.

"Nice one, T-bird!" Roberto slapped his talon with Tiago's as Blu congratulated his son, pride in his brown eyes. The tapir and the porcupine were commenting away.

"_One of the youngest players to set wing on the Pit of Doom scores!" _shouted the porcupine. _"This calls for a Mexican wave!" _the wave began on the left side of the Spix's stands, passing through. Bia's wings threw into the sky as it passed over her, and everyone, including Rafael, Eva, Nico and Pedro, joined in the wave. The game then resumed; this time wasn't so joyous. Ricardo, a red macaw team player, flew toward Blu, intending to take the ball as Blu kicked. Unfortunately, he misjudged his speed and ended up crashing into Blu.

"Ouch." Carla gasped. Bia flinched, wings shielding her eyes. She peeked through her wings, and her eyes widened. Blu was holding one foot awkwardly, a look of pain on his face. The foot had jerked when Ricardo had collided with him, and it had been crushed between Blu and Ricardo. Rafael, Eva, Nico and Pedro flinched, craning their necks to see. Jewel's wings were clasped over her beak, immediate concern taking over her face. She lifted her wings, flying down and over the pitch, rushing to Blu's side as he was guided to the bottom rock ledge by Roberto. The worried Eduardo and several other 'first aid' macaws gathered around Blu, examining his foot.

"Foul!" cried the referee, pointing at Ricardo. Muttering beneath his breath, Ricardo flew toward Blu.

"Sorry, buddy." Ricardo then flew off and was replaced by a substitute. The commentators immediately began speaking again.

"A great player is out of the game!" cried the tapir. "Let's hope he's alright…"

After several minutes, Blu and Jewel were flying up, Jewel murmuring in his ear. Tribe members spoke to Blu encouragingly, saying that he did very well. Blu landed awkwardly beside Bia, and then she noticed the weird-looking leaf wrapped around his foot; one of the tribe healer's medical supplies.

"How is it?" asked Mimi, frowning down at his foot.

"It'll be fine." Blu assured her, shifting his weight to his good foot. "They said it'll heal up by later, but it hurts for now." Jewel nuzzled against his wing, until he draped it over her. Their attention then turned to the game; a substitute was needed. Bromeliad, Isaac and Orchid were talking in fast voices, looking down excitedly. Roberto and Sophia's eyes were in the same direction, excitement clear on their faces.

"What's this?" said the porcupine. "It looks like a substitute - he's the youngest I've ever seen! Apparently this is the son of Roberto and Sophia!" At this, Bia craned her neck forward, standing on tip-toe. Azure was flying out in Blu's place, looking nervous.

"Go Azure!" shouted Isaac, Bromeliad and Orchid from where they stood. Soon, the entire Spix's macaw tribe were cheering Azure on. Roberto flew up to his son, ruffling Azure's head feathers with his wing, before the game resumed. The ball flew back and forth, almost scoring into the goals, only to be saved. Now, it was time for the final score; the next score would see who won and who lost, for the points were equal. A red player kicked the ball toward Felipe, but it slipped past his talons, and began falling. Before it hit the water, Tiago swept in, like Blu had done in his first Pit of Doom match.

"Tiago's got hold of the ball!" cried the porcupine. "Look at those skills!" Bia's talons dug into the rock beneath her as she watched Tiago begin flying in the direction of the goal. He signalled to Azure, and the two began flying toward it, passing the ball between them when the other red team players tried to take the ball from them.

"Tiago, Azure, Tiago, Azure!" shouted the tapir, leaning over the rock ledge he and the porcupine were on. Now, the two young players were at the goal. Instead of shooting, Tiago kicked it to Azure.

"This one's yours, man!" he cried. The moment the ball connected with Azure's talons, he kicked it toward the goal. Everyone's talons dug into their rock ledges and their eyes widened. The goal keeper flew, her wings reaching, but she was too slow. The ball vanished into the goal, and the crowd went wild. Bromeliad, Orchid and Isaac's wings enveloped each other and they hopped excitedly on the spot. Blu, Jewel, Mimi, Rafael, Eva, Nico and Pedro cheered loudly, wings thrown in the air. Blu stumbled a little on his foot injury, but one of Jewel's wings wrapped around him to stop him falling onto Nico and Pedro. Carla and Bia shared a high-five, whooping. Down on the bottom rock ledge, Eduardo's wings were thrown in the air in his relief. The Scarlet tribe was less enthusiastic. Sighs and groans rolled through the tribe, but they didn't look terribly disappointed or angry, like they would have before the peace. Felipe and the red team shook wings with their opposites, congratulating them, before Azure and Tiago were surrounded by their teammates and thrown up into the air. Sophia flew over to Roberto and Azure, her eyes sparkling with joy. Azure turned his head, eyes scanning the crowd, and then they rested on Bia. Bia felt her heart warm when he looked at her, smiling.

"This calls for a celebration!" Eduardo announced to his tribe as the Scarlet tribe departed.


	11. A news report

Bia frowned down at her father's foot. "Is it okay, now?" Blu looked down at his leg, before gingerly setting it on the floor. He winced slightly, but it didn't look too painful.

"It's alright, it'll heal up by tomorrow, latest, they said." He assured her. Blu looked outside the hollow, where the celebrations were taking place. The tribe was dancing, telling jokes, and playing games. Jewel waved at them, and Blu looked at his youngest daughter. "You go and have fun with your friends, sweetie, and I'll see you later." Blu then flew off out of the tree, landing beside Jewel. Jewel nestled herself under her mate's wing. The two then listened to Nico, Pedro, Rafael and Eva's stories of Rio, and the plans for New Year's Eve, even though it was months away. Eduardo and Mimi perched next to Blu and Jewel, listening to the city birds' stories. Bia looked down, and spotted Carla, Tiago and some others water-skiing with the lily pads. Eyes lighting up with excitement, she flew over, lighting down on an over-hanging branch everyone was gathered on. Andrea turned, smiling at the sight of her.

"Hi, Bia! Awesome game, weren't it? Oh, how's your dad holding up?" she asked.

"He's fine, his foot should be okay by tomorrow." Bia replied. "So, what we talking about?"

"How your sister has forgiven her ex-boyfriend." Andrea said. Bia blinked.

"They're not back together, are they?"

"Absolutely not!" snorted Carla, who Bia then noticed standing beside Andrea. "Not in a million years, sis. I've just forgiven him because I don't like how he's pestering me twenty four-seven for forgiveness. I'm sick of it, but now he'll hopefully leave me alone. I still hate him."

"Well, I'm glad you're not giving him the evils anymore." Bruno said, eyes warm as he gazed at Carla. "You look better smiling." At this, Carla gave him a small smile. Bia then saw Azure, his back to her. He hadn't seen her there, and was in conversation with Orchid.

"Admit it." Azure teased her. "You so have a crush on him."

"No I don't!" Orchid protested. "He's so nice, but I _don't _have a crush on Tiago…" Bia turned toward her brother, who had his back to her, Azure and Orchid. His head was turned their way, but only slightly, so that Azure and Orchid wouldn't notice that he was eavesdropping. Tiago was smiling to himself. Bia nudged him, and he turned toward her.

"Do you have a crush on her?" Bia whispered, grinning. Tiago smirked, looking at her innocently.

"Of course not…"

"You _so _do."

"No I don't."

"Tiago, you're in denial." Bia gave him a playful shove, before hopping over to Azure, whose conversation with Orchid had ended.

"Hi." She said, smiling up at him. Azure turned around, eyes brightening at the sight of her.

"Hey, Bia!" he greeted her, warmly.

"You played really well -" Bia then stopped herself. "No, actually - you played _awesomely."_

"Seriously?" Azure asked, looking surprised. "Thanks." He then looked at the others, who had turned away and were now discussing water-skiing. By now, the sun was beginning to drop, sinking slowly into the horizon. "Dance with me?" he asked. Bia nodded excitedly, and he lead her to an above branch, away from the others. Azure took her wing, and spun her. Bia giggled, ducking under his wing.

"You're good at dancing, aren't you?" Azure commented.

"Me? I mean, Carla and mom are really good, but I miss a few moves sometimes. I also tend to stumble a little. I'm not_ that_ good." Bia looked at her talons. Azure then tipped Bia's head upwards with a wing-tip.

"I don't believe it for a second." Azure murmured. Bia blinked. They stared at each other, looking into the depths of one another's eyes. Bia looked at the little fleck of amber in his right blue iris. It was so quiet, like they were the only macaws in the ravine. The sound of laughing, singing and chatter was dulled as they stared at each other's faces. Bia leaned toward him, and Azure leaned toward her, but then the quiet was broken.

"Bia, Azure!" Isaac called. "Want to join in our water-skiing?" Isaac then appeared on the branch beside them, and Bia shifted away from Azure. "Come on! Dad's had the water-skiing record for years, and no one's broken it!" Bia bit her lower beak, looking back at Azure, before she flew down the below branch. Azure sighed, before following her and Isaac. He stood on the branch, watching Bia as she flew toward the water-lilies with Orchid. Azure then looked to his right, and saw Bromeliad.

"Hey, Li." He said to his older sister. "What's up?"

"Not much." Bromeliad shrugged. "Nice match - look, I want to talk to you about Bia."

"Bia?" Azure blinked. "Why?" Bromeliad's wings crossed, and she looked over to the lily pads where Bia was. Dislike was heavy in her eyes as she looked at the small macaw.

"I don't like her. She's weird… _too smart." _At this, hot anger burned through Azure's veins. He turned to Bromeliad, feathers fluffed out a little, wings slightly spread out. He towered over Bromeliad, despite being slightly younger than her.

"How dare you - how can you say that about her?"

"It's true!" Bromeliad retorted, standing on her toes so that she was the same height as him. "I don't like her!" suddenly, Bromelaid's anger-spiked feathers smoothed. Bia had returned, landing beside Azure. "Hey, Beatriz." Bromelaid said sweetly. "Nice to see you." She then moved past Bia, and flew off. Azure trembled with anger as he watched his sister. Bia nudged him, concern lighting her eyes.

"You alright? You seem… angry." Azure then noticed his crest feathers, which had spiked out. Quickly, he reached up, smoothing them down.

"Um, no, sorry." Bia frowned at him, before turning away to speak to Carla. Azure felt guilt wash over him. _She doesn't know what Bromeliad said about her… _Azure considered telling her, but he didn't want to cause tension. Besides, Bia's mind was more vulnerable to emotion then Carla's; if Carla was upset hearing Augustus talking about her, what would Bia be like? Bia would be more likely to cry in public than Carla, and she was more sensitive. _I can't tell her._

_Meanwhile_

While the Spix's macaw tribe celebrated their victory in the Amazon, the Christ the Redeemer casted an enormous shadow on the city of Rio de Janeiro. The city was bustling, the streets full of people. Sellers were trying to persuade passing people into buying the exotic fruit in their stalls. Tourists swarmed the Copacabana beach, soaking up the sunlight or trying to keep cool in the sea. The sky was completely blue, not a wisp of cloud on it. The sun scorched the ground, making it extremely hot to the touch.

A teenager, Fernando, was walking along the road, a bag of new books in one hand. He loved reading a lot, found it fascinating, and it distracted him from the heat. He had been born and lived here his entire life, but this was extremely hot; he couldn't remember it being warmer. Fernando paused at a market stall, and purchased a few oranges. They were running low on it back home, and Linda, his adoptive mother, had asked him to get some while he was out. Fernando then saw the newspaper stall, and stopped to see the headlines. _2016 Olympics to begin construction, Warmest Autumn on record, Severe Amazon droughts expected. _At the last headline, Fernando picked up the paper, reading the front page, frowning.

_As weather experts warn of the hottest Autumn yet, the scorching heat wave is affecting all of Brazil, including the Amazon rainforest. The water level is said to have already dropped a few centimetres, and the water temperature is warmer than usual. The air temperature has risen by a few degrees, and is affecting tourism in Manaus as tourists cancel boat trips along the Amazon River. Manaus and Amazon residents are suffering from the heat, and the plants and animals in the rainforest are beginning to be affected. See page four and five for the full article._

Worried, Fernando paid the market owner for the newspaper and began making his way home, walking through the streets of Rio until he entered the Blu Bird Sanctuary. Walking along the path, the house emerged into view. Fernando went to knock, but then he realized that it was already unlocked. Entering the house, Fernando dropped the books and oranges on the couch, before searching the house for Linda and Tulio. Eventually, he found them in the kitchen. "Mom, Dad, you might want to see this headline…" Linda had a wooden board on the cabinet, some vegetables lying on it, while Tulio had a pile of cheques sitting on the opposite side of the cabinet. Their eyes, however, were on the television set.

"Fernando, look at this." Linda picked up the remote, rewinding it. Fernando's eyes turned to the television, where the news reporter was sitting. The image beside her showed the Amazon River.

"The severe heat wave across Brazil is having a more significant impact then previously predicted." She said. "We now go live to the Amazon rainforest." The screen then changed, and the river was flowing. In front of the river, there stood another news reporter. The camera then zoomed out, revealing some soil. The soil, however, was where the water had once flowed.

"The river level has dropped a few centimetres." Announced the news reporter, arm extended toward the parched, exposed river bed and the river that still flowed. "And the current has slowed down with less water to carry. While illegal logging activity has dropped, the heat wave is looking to cause a severe drought within the next few weeks, unless it starts to rain heavily. Experts are predicting negative effects on the indigenous Amazon population, and the plant life and wildlife. Back to you, Luciana." The news report then changed to the 2016 Olympic plans. There was quiet in the Monteiro household.

"It's only a drought." Said Tulio, but his voice was laced with concern. "Besides, the Amazon has gone through worse droughts before; the macaws had survived that before we knew they were there."

"Are you sure they'll be alright?" asked Linda, turning to him while adjusting her glasses. "This looks rather… severe."

"I'm sure they will, too." Fernando assured her. "Spix's macaws are survivors, they'll be okay." _I hope so, anyway. A drought is one thing, but droughts can cause other things then water shortages. _


	12. Trouble

The sky was beginning to go amber as the sun began to sink in the evening. The sky, as it had been in the few days since the match, was clear and scarce of clouds. Today, activity in the tribe had been very lazy; most of the tribe had been relaxed the entire day, having lie-ins and staying close to home. It was really too hot to do much today. Even Eduardo, Jewel, Mimi, Roberto and Sophia, who often got up earliest, had been sleeping in and staying at home most of the day. Blu and Jewel were asleep in their room. In an adjacent tree, Rafael, Eva, Nico and Pedro were also napping. Bia looked outside, where she could see Roberto and Sophia in the shade of their tree. Roberto's wing was curled around Sophia, whose head was snuggled against his chest. Both of them were asleep, a few empty passion fruit shells sitting on the branch beside them. Bia looked down at her drawing pad, which had a drawing of them. She had been rather bored, and had drawn pretty much everyone she knew when they weren't looking. She had drawn herself, her mother and father, Carla and Tiago, her pop-pop and great-aunt, Rafael, Eva, Nico and Pedro, and now her uncle Beto and aunt Sophia. She actually a really good drawer; she could draw each of them with detail and accuracy. She got the size of Carla's eyes accurate, Blu's beak shape, the flattened feathers on Eduardo's head, the sweep of feathers on Roberto's and the shape of Sophia's slender figure. She had drawn Mimi when she was asleep in her familiar spot, the flowers over her eyes as she slept. It was awfully funny, really. Bia then closed the drawing pad, putting it on the floor, and went out in search of her siblings and friends. She hadn't seen them much today, and she felt restless.

_Meanwhile_

Carla fanned herself with her wings, her feathers slightly damp as she sweated a little. Some of the others - Andrea, Kai, Roberto and Sophia's brood, and Augustus - had fallen asleep in the shade of the tree they were in. Carla looked at Augustus. She still disliked him, and she knew that she didn't want to get back with him; but she could learn to be friends with him, maybe. They couldn't hate each other forever. Beside her, Tiago was snoring slightly. Carla looked at him, slightly annoyed, and pushed him so that he was on his side, his snoring ebbing away. On her other side, Bruno was starting to fall asleep, his head nodding up and down before jerking back up as he tried to stay awake. She put in her headphones, looking for a decent song. She eventually settled on 'Stay with Me'. Carla closed her eyes, hoping that the music would take her away from the heat.

She didn't remember it ever being hotter in the Amazon. Carla hoped that the heat wave would be over soon; she had been flying with Bruno, when they noticed that the river seemed thinner than usual. They had then spotted the dry riverbed on the sides, where water had once flowed. The dead water plants had been lying on the half-dried mud, pale and dead. The jungle plants seemed to be very dry, as well, as did the soil. It had been weeks since it had rained heavily. When they had been in Manaus, searching for birthday presents for their kids and finding Rafael, Nico, Pedro and Eva, Blu and Jewel had seen headlines warning of severe drought and heat waves. Carla looked down at her emerald necklace, feeling bored. She then noticed that Bromeliad was awake, looking around.

"Hey, Carla?" Bromelaid said, looking up to her. Bromeliad's voice was rather loud, so the others stirred, raising their heads sleepily.

"Yeah?" Carla paused her iPod, taking out the headphones to listen. On her right side, Tiago sat up, blinking. "What is it?"

"You know Bee?" Bromeliad said in a lazy voice. Carla and Tiago exchanged annoyed glances. Either Bromelaid had a mild hearing issue, or she was purposely insisting on calling their sister 'Bee'. Whichever it was, neither of them really liked it.

"Yes, _Bia."_ Carla corrected. "What about her?" Carla asked, standing up. By now, the others were all awake. Azure's head had risen immediately at the mention of Bia, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Bromeliad. For some reason, they had seemed moody toward one another in the past few days. Isaac, Andrea, Kai, Augustus and Orchid looked over from where they sat. Bromeliad pushed herself onto her talons so that she was the same height as Carla.

"Don't you get annoyed when she says something about… say, books, or animals or plants?"

"What, facts?" Tiago tipped his head to side. "No, it's not annoying. That's just how she is…" it was true. Tiago remembered New Year's Eve, how mischievous they had all been. Blu's tail had caught fire, and Bia had commented that it had been his '27th no today' when he had began saying 'no' many times.

"Well,_ I_ think it's annoying." Bromeliad rolled her eyes. "I don't understand half of what she says, it's all _factual. _Why doesn't she do something normal for once? Put down those stupid books and talk about normal stuff?" Carla and Tiago's feathers suddenly rose. It suddenly felt unbearably hot. Bromeliad was pushing it now, and they were trying to think of what to say.

"Bromeliad…" Azure began, warning in his voice, but Bromeliad ignored him.

"I hate it when she begins blabbing away about all the stuff about the Amazon. What the scientific-name of so-and-so is, the lifecycle of a butterfly, what happens in those books she read, _Different _or something. I don't like her hanging out with us! She's a stuck-up little know-it all!" Bromeliad spat. Rage burned through the brother and sister's veins. Azure threw himself to his feet, opened his beak to say something, but then there was silence among them all. From a nearby branch heavy with leaves, there was a hiccup-like sound. Dread hit Carla and Tiago, and everyone looked at the branch. Through the leaves, there was an enormous pair of hazel-gold eyes.

The leaves moved aside, and Bia stepped out from the leaves, tears streaming down her cheeks. The whites of her eyes were bloodshot, her feathers on end, her wings lying limply at her sides. Bromeliad gasped, guilt taking over her face. She shuffled her talons with discomfort. "It's true." She muttered. Bia said nothing. Instead, she threw her wings over her face, sobbing loudly. She was trying to not make a scene, but she couldn't. Bia's wings pried away from her face, and she spun round, flying away while crying endlessly. Azure whirled round to Bromeliad, the rage on his face unconcealed.

"You little…" his wings were curled into fists, and he quivered slightly. He raised his wings, and for a moment they thought he was going to punch Bromeliad, but then he flew off, shouting after Bia. "Bia, wait! Please!" he cried. At this, heads poked out of nearby trees. At Bia's name, Eduardo, Mimi, Rafael, Eva, Nico, Pedro, Blu and Jewel's heads poked out from their trees. Roberto and Sophia rose their heads from where they slept, blinking at the sound of their son's voice. Beside Carla, Tiago surged forward, scowling at Bromeliad.

"How could you?" he demanded, and Isaac gasped, trying to hold Tiago back as he attempted to fly at Bromeliad. "How could you say that about my_ sister? To my face!" _Tiago wasn't attempting to keep quiet; he was shouting, attracting attention. His family were looking on, stretching their wings to go over there. Bromeliad cowered, backing away, fear in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know she was listening…" that was what Augustus had said when Carla had eavesdropped on his, Cruz and Cassandra's conversation. But this situation was worse. Much worse; Carla's emotions were more controlled than Bia's. Bia was more effected and vulnerable to hearing horrible things about her. By now, Roberto and Sophia were flying over; they reached the branch first, as their tree was closest.

"What's going on?" asked Sophia, blinking away her tiredness. Concern replaced the tiredness in Roberto and Sophia's faces.

"Bromeliad?" Roberto called. Carla spun round to look at Bromeliad, but she was gone, flying away into some nearby trees. She crossed her wings, turning back to Roberto and Sophia.

"Come on, Tiago…" she whispered. "We've gotta tell mom, dad and the others what happened." By now, Blu, Jewel, Mimi, Eduardo, Rafael, Eva, Nico and Pedro had arrived, lighting down beside Roberto and Sophia. Carla closed her green eyes, and turned around.

"What happened?" asked Jewel, clutching Blu's talon with her own. Blu frowned down at his two kids, wondering where the third one was. But deep down, he knew that something was wrong.

"You're not gonna like this, at all. Okay." Carla inhaled sharply. She looked at Tiago and the others, who were still there, other than Bromeliad, Azure and Bia. Kai, Augustus, Isaac, Orchid and Andrea were biting their lower beaks and exchanging uncomfortable looks. "Here's what happened…"


	13. Fix you

"Right, Trix, Catia, Antonio and Mateo, go." Eduardo extended a wing toward the ravine exit. The four nodded, before flying out of the ravine with determined faces. Many groups of volunteers had been sent out searching for Bia. The tribe looked out for one another, so there were many volunteers; like Blu said, 'birds of blue feathers have to stick together.' It was dangerous in the jungle at this time of day, especially for a little, upset Spix's macaw. Blu and Jewel had gone out with Mimi, Carla and Tiago, desperately searching for Bia. Joining the patrols was Rafael, Eva, Nico and Pedro. Even though they were from the city, Eduardo appreciated their care for Bia. Eduardo wanted to join in the search himself, but he had to take care of the patrols. Roberto, Sophia, Isaac and Orchid were still in the ravine, but they weren't searching for Bia; they were looking for Bromeliad. No patrols were required for Bromeliad, because she was hiding somewhere in the ravine. They were trying to find her in order to get her to apologise to Bia, when she was found. Praying that his granddaughter was safe, Eduardo turned to select another patrol.

_Meanwhile_

"Bia!" the sound of her name echoed through the darkening jungle. Tobias, Isabella, Reena and Marcelo flew through the rainforest, scanning tree branches and the forest floor. "Come on, kiddo! Your mom and dad are really worried, come home!" Bia was curled up under a dense cover of ferns, the outstretching leaves providing concealment. Tears continued to fall down her cheeks, even hours later. She didn't want to go back. Not to Bromeliad. She knew that Bromeliad didn't like her, but she never knew that that was the reason why. She couldn't have ever imagined Bromeliad saying those horrible things about her. The patrol called for her again, but Bia didn't reply. She closed her eyes, staring down at her moonstone necklace as she heard the patrol pass overhead of her. She wanted some time to herself. She looked up, listening. "Do you think she went into Felipe's side?" asked Tobias, turning to the other three.

"She could have." Said Isabella, looking in the direction of the other territory. "We'll look there. If we run into anyone we'll just tell them we're looking for a lost tribe mate and to ask them to keep an eye out. Sound good?" murmurs of approval sounded from Reena, Marcelo and Tobias, and the patrol flew off in the direction of the Scarlet macaw territory. _I right under your beaks, guys. _Bia thought to herself. She sniffed, huddling her small wings to herself. It was starting to get really dark now, stars beginning to dot the skies. Bia then heard rustling leaves and ferns. Above her, the ferns stirred with a breeze. It was quiet, now. Too quiet, like there was going to be a loud noise. Bia looked around, nervous. She could hear animals in the darkening rainforest; the chatter of monkeys, the distant roar of a jaguar. She shivered with fear at the thought of a jaguar. She had learnt all about them, how they killed their prey. They bit their prey's skulls, crushing them and killing them instantly when the teeth pierced through the brain. Bia whimpered, and saw the ferns around her moving. A snake could slither by and swallow her whole, like she had read in her old _Amazonia_ book. She heard a twig snap, and that simple sound sent her flying out of the ferns and through the trees. Bia flew as fast as she could, frightened, until she reached the tree line.

The Amazon flowed by, dark and eerie looking as the yellow moon shone above it. The river seemed to be flowing slower than usual. Bia frowned, and then her eyes widened. Several metres of land appeared where the water had once been; the riverbed, dead water plants strewn over the dry soil. The heatwave was causing a drought. Bia was then horrified when she saw several glistening things lying on the silt. Piranhas and other fish from the river, dead and rotting. Their mouths gaped open, and flies buzzed around them, landing on their rotting scales. Feeling sick, Bia backed away, flying back into the trees. She landed on a branch, closing her eyes. She began singing quietly to herself in her sweet voice. She had heard this song on Carla's iPod, and she liked it a lot; the tune, and the lyrics.

_Heart beats fast_

_Colours and promises_

_How to be brave?_

_How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?_

_But watching you stand alone,_

_All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow._

_One step closer…_

Bia's voice then broke off as she began crying again. She sat down, and sobbed into her wings. She ran her wing-tips through her head feathers, closing her eyes as they continued to weep tears. She heard voices, and spotted Blu, Jewel, Mimi, Carla, and Tiago. Eduardo was probably at home, sending out the search parties. She hid behind some leaves, keeping quiet. She couldn't let them see her like this. She was a mess; the tears streaming down her face, her eyes bloodshot, her feathers ruffled and streaking with dirt and bits of leaf.

"Bia!" cried Jewel. "Baby, please - where are you?" her voice was anguished; the thought of any of her children being hurt was terrible to her. She looked around, eyes wide with fear as they raked over the undergrowth and the trees. They scanned over Bia's hiding place, but with the cover of leaves, she didn't see her.

"Sweetie!" Blu called. Of all his kids, Bia was probably the one he had the closest connection with. Of course he loved all his children equally, but Bia was most like him, personality-wise. He jumped at the sound of a nearby insect. He still found the Amazon frightening. But still - he would willingly enter an insect-infested forest for any of his family.

"Let's try the Brazil nut grove." Suggested Mimi, and Bia's family, after a brief moment of hesitation flew away. Bia slid down the tree trunk, wings lying at her sides. She suddenly heard a voice.

"Beatriz." Murmured the voice softly. Bia looked around, stiffening, but then she saw a shadowed form. She blinked, wondering who it was, then he emerged and was washed in a pool of moonlight.

"Azure?" she whispered, voice thick with tears. There was pain in Azure's eyes; pain of seeing her upset. The amber fleck in the blue shone brightly in the dark.

"Are you okay?" he whispered. "I'm… you don't know I incredibly sorry I am about Bromeliad."

"It's not your fault." She replied. "I just… do you think I'm _too _smart?" she looked up, trembling slightly. Azure shook his head.

"No." he murmured. "You can never be too smart. Some in this world think that being too smart is a burden, but they're wrong. Bia, it's a _gift. _I'm telling you the truth." At his words, Bia looked at her small talons, the tears continuing to drip down. Azure then looked up through the canopy of leaves. His eyes widened. "Bia, follow me. I want to show you something."

"What?" Bia's head raised. "Um… okay." Drawing a wing across her tearful eyes, Bia flew through the tree branches and after Azure. He lead her to the very top of the tree.

"Now look up." He whispered. Bia looked at him, then up at the night sky.

"Wow." She whispered. A splash of stars clustered above them, all together. It was striking against the rest of the sky, like silver and white glitter and snowflakes thrown over black paper. "That's the milky way." Bia had seen pictures of it in her books, photographs, but had never seen the real thing for herself. It was only visible on a very clear night; and she had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. Azure put a wing around her.

"Amazing." He commented, eyes on the Milky Way above them. Bia looked up at him. A breeze ruffled their feathers, and it sent Azure's crest feathers billowing around his face. More tears fell from her eyes, and then she looked back down, sniffing.

"Thank you for showing me this and all, but… I just want to be alone right now." Bia whispered. Azure blinked, eyes pained.

"Bia… wait." He said, but Bia turned away, and began walking along the branch, stretching her wings to fly. He tried to think of something to say; what could he say to make her feel better? Then an idea entered his mind, as did one of Bia's favourite songs, what they had heard on Carla's iPod on their first outing together. Azure rose his head, and then sung in a soft voice. _"When you try your best, but you don't succeed…"_ he murmured. _"When you get what you want, but not what you need…"_ Bia stopped, her wings dropping to her sides, but she still didn't turn around. She shut her eyes, her head hanging. Azure continued singing, and hopped closer to her. _"When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep. Stuck in reverse…" _by now, Bia had risen her head, and opened her eyes. "_And the tears come streaming down your face. When you lose something you can't replace. When you love someone, but it goes to waste… could it be worse?" _Bia slowly turned around, eyes fixed on Azure as he sung the chorus._ "Lights will guide you home…. And ignite your bones. And I will try… to fix you."_

Unexpectedly, Bia then ran toward him, and wrapped both her wings around him, eyes closed. Azure returned the embrace, his wings enveloping her. He looked up at the splash of stars, before looking back down at her. Bia then looked up at him, opening her eyes. She didn't think of anything else; she reached up, and kissed him. Bia had never kissed anyone before, and she pulled her beak away, feeling embarrassed. She casted her eyes downwards. "Sorry…" she squeaked, but Azure didn't look angry or humiliated. He was smiling, warmth sparking his eyes. He instead leaned down, and kissed her back, wrapping his wings around her.

"I love you." He whispered. Bia closed her eyes. All the pain, sorrow and humiliation that had targeted her today was forgotten. All she cared about was Azure and the swath of stars above them.

"I love you too." Bia then nestled herself into Azure's wings, and they watched the sky. After a few minutes of staring up at the night sky, Bia fell asleep, eyes shut. Azure felt warmth glow in his heart. He could still hear the patrols, calling for Bia. Her family would be frantic, and his own would be wondering where he was. With no difficulty, Azure carried Bia back home, flying carefully so not to wake her. When he got back, he spotted Bia's family and the city birds talking frantically to Eduardo.

"No one's found her?" Blu asked, dismay in his brown eyes. Eduardo shook his head, and opened his beak to speak, but then he looked around them.

"Azure!"He exclaimed, seeing Bia in his talons. They spun round, and gasped, running to the edge of the branch.

"She's alright." Azure assured them when Jewel rushed toward the sleeping form of Bia, scooping her into her wings. "I found her near the river." In the safety of Jewel's wings, Bia stirred, but didn't wake, instead nuzzling in the soft feathers of her mother.

"Thank you, so much." Mimi sighed, gratitude and relief on her face.

"It's no problem." Azure shrugged, as if it were no big deal. He then looked around, searching. "Where's Bromeliad?"

"Somewhere." Tiago said, flatly. "She'll turn up." Azure nodded, before flying off to join in the search for his older sister. When the patrols had returned, Blu carried Bia back to the nest, settling her into her niche. Blu then put a wing around Jewel, and they looked down at their sleeping daughter. Carla and Tiago stood in the room entrance, exchanging looks of relief.

"Mom, what will you do when they find Bromeliad?" Carla then asked.

"I don't know. I can't exactly argue with her, since Roberto and Sophia are family friends." Jewel sighed. "We'll talk about it in the morning."


	14. A lethal error

Bia stirred in her nest, and opened her eyes. She was looking into a pair of blue eyes, the right iris having a fleck of amber. "Hi." She murmured.

"Hey." Azure smiled down at her. Bia sat up, looking around, confused at her surroundings. "You fell asleep, so I took you home." Azure explained. "Your family was frantic, Bia. You really had them worried, being gone for so long."

"I feel awful for worrying them." Groaned Bia, her wings covering her eyes from where she lay in her nest. "I should have returned sooner."

"Don't be that way." Azure assured her. "They're just relieved that you're safe." Bia sat up, blinking in the light that streamed into her room. She then stiffened, looking at Azure.

"Did… did you guys find Bromeliad?" she asked. Azure looked at the floor.

"The good news is, we found her in the roots of Manuela, Carlos and Augustus's nest. The bad news is, she's refusing to come out." Azure sighed, looking outside. Bia craned her neck to follow his gaze, and picked out Manuela, Carlos and Augustus's tree from the others. In those roots, Bromeliad was hiding. Wanting to think of something else, she turned back to Azure.

"What time is it?" she asked. Azure left the room, and returned a few seconds later.

"According to your dad's clock, it's twenty-one past ten in the morning."

"Twenty-one past _ten?" _gasped Bia, staring in bewilderment. "I usually get up at half _seven!_ They left me asleep?"

"They thought it would be better to leave you asleep." Azure explained. "They left you some strawberry guavas, though." He held up a few strawberry guavas. "I'm just gonna check up on the Bromeliad situation. Your family and co. are gathered at Mimi's nest; I'll see you later." Azure kissed her cheek, before flying out of the nest. Bia's cheek felt warm from his kiss, and she smiled after him before picking up a strawberry guava and taking a bite. Strawberry guavas were delicious; they tasted like a mixture of passion fruit and strawberries. Bia recalled the events of yesterday. She was still hurt and angry from Bromeliad's words, but her and Azure's first kiss last night had swept some of the pain away. She just hoped that Bromeliad would gather up the courage to apologise to her. She didn't care whether Bromeliad still didn't like her afterwards, she just wanted an apology. Like Carla had forgiven Augustus, maybe Bia could forgive Bromeliad. They all made mistakes, didn't they? Eating the final strawberry guava, Bia stood on a branch, eyes closed. She inhaled, and began flying over the plunge pool in direction of Mimi's nest.

Mimi's tree was nestled in a dense cluster of trees near the edge of the plunge pool. It was a short yet wide, spacious tree. It was awfully pretty, being heavily adorned with large, pink flowers, yet the aroma of the flowers was often pungent and over powering. Leaves poked out from the flowers in places, and some vines fell from several branches. Other then the over powering scent of flowers, the living space inside was cosy and rather homely. Moss grew over most of the walls and floor, and bunches of brightly coloured feathers and pretty dried plants hung from the walls. Pretty stones and shells sat on ledges in the walls. Bia paused at the entrance, listening in before she entered. "I still can't believe what Bromeliad said about Bia." Rafael's voice sounded. She peered into the nest; Eva, Eduardo, Carla and Tiago weren't present, but Blu, Jewel, Mimi, Rafael, Nico and Pedro were there, sitting on the moss that covered most of the floor. Nico and Pedro were looking around with wrinkled beaks; obviously they didn't like the pungent smell of flowers. Blu and Rafael looked uncomfortable too, while Jewel and Mimi were really the ones who looked the most content. Inhaling a beakful of non-flowered air, Bia entered the nest.

"Bia." Jewel whirled round, and pulled Bia into a hug, her wings enveloping her daughter. Blu and Mimi joined in the embrace.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" Blu asked Bia.

"I'm fine, thanks." Bia replied, looking at her talons.

"We're so glad, kiddo." Nico said from where he sat beside Rafael and Pedro. "You had us all really worried."

"Thanks." Bia smiled at the yellow canary.

"Bromeliad -" Mimi began, but Bia finished her sentence.

"It's okay, I know. Azure told me that they found her in Carlos and Manuela's tree roots." At the mention of Azure, Pedro contributed to the conversation.

"That Azure guy's a nice fella, ain't he?" Pedro said.

"He is." Mimi agreed. "It was so considerate of him to take you home. So you went to the river and fell asleep?"

"Huh?" Bia hadn't done that - what did she mean? Then it struck Bia. _Oh, that's what he told them. _"Yeah, I was looking at the drought, and I just felt really tired and fell asleep."

"The drought's worse than your pop-pop thought." Jewel said grimly. "And it's getting worse. We've got enough water, but it's drying up the plants and the fruit."

"What's the worst-case scenario?" Rafael quired.

"Worst case scenario?" Bia looked at her adoptive uncle. "Famine or a forest-fire."

_Meanwhile_

"I'm counting to three." Said Roberto, wings crossed. "If you don't come out, Li, I'll go in there myself and drag you out." No reply. Roberto sighed, and sat down, to show that he wasn't intending on going anywhere. He had tracked Bromeliad to these roots. He looked up at Carlos, Augustus and Manuela apologetically. "Sorry that she chose the roots of your tree to hide." He apologised.

"It's alright, Roberto, honestly - Elsa!" Manuela then disappeared. "Elsa, don't go near that!" Elsa was the newest addition to Carlos and Manuela's family, a sweet little chick who loved causing mischief whenever she could. She was one of the two eggs; the second egg hadn't hatched yet. The second egg was nestled in Manuela's nest, well incubated with moss and down while Manuela was seeing the situation at the roots of her home. Eventually, Manuela returned with Elsa in her wings, peering down. Elsa craned over her mother's wings to see down the tree. Augustus smiled at his little sister, ruffling her little tuft of feathers on the back of her head, before looking down with worry in his eyes. Roberto stepped closer to the roots.

"Bromeliad!" he called again. He peered through the darkness, and could see the slight shape of his eldest daughter in the dimness. He was furious, as was Sophia, but they didn't get anywhere with Bromeliad if they were angry toward her - Bromeliad could only be convinced with kind yet firm words. "Young lady, all I'm asking is for you to apologise to Bia! Is that difficult?"

"No, but what about Eduardo and Jewel? They'll kill me!" Bromeliad's protests sounded from the roots. Roberto sighed, and his head rolled back.

"Actually, Bromeliad, they promised me that they'd go easy on you. They are family friends, after all - I consider Jewel as my sister, and her kids as my nephew and nieces. Do you think that they'd have a go at you and ruin our friendships?" Roberto reasoned with her, and there was silence from the roots. Bromeliad knew that it was true.

"I guess not…" she uttered.

"Exactly." Roberto said, stepping back. "Li - please just apologise to her. If you don't, Eduardo and Jewel'll be furious." At this, Bromeliad emerged from the roots.

"Okay." She muttered. "But can I please say sorry later?" Roberto narrowed his eyes; surely Bia wanted an apology right _now? But then if I don't let her say sorry later, she won't want to do it at all. _

"Fine." Sighed Roberto. "Later, okay?"

"Definitely." Bromelaid nodded. "I promise." She was being honest; she actually really regretted her actions toward Bia. After seeing Bia so upset, she had felt so guilty. While she had been hiding, Bromelaid had thought everything over, and she had been angry at herself. How could she have been so horrible? Could Bia forgive her? Bromeliad wasn't sure. Bromeliad flew out of the ravine, heading for somewhere she could think of an apology. Bia, meanwhile, left Mimi's nest, found Carla, Tiago, Andrea, Bruno, Azure, Isaac and Orchid, and they headed out to take their minds off the events of yesterday.

Elsewhere, the sun continued to scorch the Amazon jungle even as it began to go down. Each shaft of sunlight was hot and extremely bright in the air. The dry plants continued to shrivel in the sun. In the trees above, capuchins played with a few stolen items. There had been humans around recently, to film the effects of the drought; the dead fish, the dried up plants and shrinking river for news reports. The monkeys had raided the report team's supplies, stealing several things. One capuchin fiddled with a box, sliding it open. Lying in the box, there was a series of sticks. Fascinated, the capuchin took out one of the sticks, examining it. Its companions seized the box, taking out the other sticks and examining them with interest. One of them spotted a rough side of the box, and took a stick. It quickly drew the stick along the rough surface, and then the other monkeys squealed with excitement, staring. A glowing yellow light flickered through the air; and now the other capuchins tried to seize the stick. But then the capuchin holding it dropped it in the frenzy; it fell toward the rainforest floor, toward the dry ferns. Chattering, the troop of capuchins swung away trough the trees, abandoning the box of matches. Now, a thread of smoke rose from the dry plants. As the sky dimmed in the fading evening, this part of the rainforest began to brighten.


	15. I'm sorry

Bia flew at the back of the group, Azure alongside her. Ahead, there was Isaac, Andrea, Carla, Orchid, Tiago and Bruno. They were headed for an area of rainforest away from the ravine, which consisted of a mixture of kapok, ungurahui, and walking palm trees. Augustus would have joined them, but he preferred to help Carlos and Manuela look after his new baby sister, Elsa. The little flock flew into a kapok tree, landing on a land branch that was heavily surrounded by leaves. The sky was beginning to darken, but as usual, the heat barely got any cooler. They were still fanning themselves with their wings as the sun dipped through the sky. Bia stood next to Azure, who had a wing wrapped around her. She leaned against him, eyes closed, and Azure rested his cheek against the top of her head. The others were laughing as Tiago told some sort of joke, Orchid gazing at him with her pretty blue eyes. There seemed to be a strange feeling in the air, but Bia couldn't put her talon on what it was. In the distance, she could hear the chatter of capuchins. Bia wrapped a talon around her moonstone necklace; capuchins were mischievous and tended to steal whatever they found interesting, so shiny things not usually found in the rainforest would definitely to one of them. A wind blew, ruffling their feathers, and for a brief second, it felt rather cold.

"Bia, listen to this." Isaac said. "Before we left, mom and dad told us that Bromeliad's decided to apologise." Bia opened her eyes from where she snuggled under Azure's wing, and she stiffened at Bromeliad's name. She blinked at Isaac.

"She is?" she asked, eyes wide. Isaac nodded.

"Yes, she actually really regrets what she said. But she'll do it later, though - she's trying to think of how to apologise." Isaac assured her, before running his beak through his wing feathers and tugging a small leaf away from the plumage.

"Okay." Bia murmured.

_Meanwhile_

The phone rang in the Monteiro household. Tulio sat up abruptly, for he had fallen asleep on the couch after a day of work at the aviary. He stumbled to his feet, and reached for the side table, where he had left his glasses. He cursed under his breath when he accidently dropped them on the floor. Tulio fumbled around on the floor his glasses, trying to find them. "Where are they?" he muttered to himself. Giving up, Tulio blindly tried to find the telephone. He stumbled to his feet, and felt along the walls, until he finally found the phone. "Yes, Monteiro residence…" Tulio stifled a yawn, eyes half-closed as he tried to fight off the wave of tiredness. A woman's voice sounded from the other side of the phone.

"Dr. Monteiro, something terrible is happening in the sanctuary."

"Which one?" Tulio finally found his glasses, putting them on and blinking. "The Blu Bird or the Amazon's?"

"The Amazon's." answered the woman on the phone. At this, Tulio frowned.

"What do you mean? What's going on there?" he sat down on a chair, muting the television to hear the woman's voice better. The woman on the phone began describing the events that were currently happening in the Amazon sanctuary. When she had finished, Tulio's eyes widened in alarm.

"_What?" _he gasped. "Where - where is it?"

"It's some distance from the ravine, sir, but we're not sure if it'll spread. The wind direction is away from the ravine, so it won't reach there, but we don't know if there are any macaws in the affected area."

"Well, for goodness sake, put it out!" cried Tulio, his hand covering his forehead.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Monterio, but it's too fast. The plants are really dry, it's spreading faster then we can find any relief efforts - hovercraft carrying water isn't available for at least an hour yet, it's too far away from the nearest city…"

"Um…" Tulio frantically tried to think. "Fine, fine, just make sure the fire doesn't reach the ravine! That's where all the macaws are!" putting down the phone, Tulio ran upstairs, calling for his wife and adoptive son. "Linda, Fernando! Something's happening in the Amazon sanctuary!"

_Meanwhile_

"Where are they?" Sophia paced along a branch. "Surely they should be home? It's getting dark." Roberto was biting his lower beak, and he kept looking at the ravine entrance. Blu, Jewel, Eduardo, Mimi and the city birds perched nearby, looking worried.

"Do you want to go out and try and find them?" Rafael suggested. Uncertainty flickered in every bird's eyes.

"Not sure…" Blu said. Suddenly, there was a commotion. Tobias and Isabella were flying into the ravine at full pelt, gasping for breath. The two flew over to Eduardo, calling frantically.

"Eduardo, Eduardo!" cried Tobias. Eduardo spun round at the sound of his name.

"What?" he asked. Tobias and Isabella landed, continuing to gulp for air. They began stammering at once, together at the same time. They stared, barely understanding. Mimi ran forward, and slapped them quickly. Their voices cut off as the brief pain snapped them out of their fear.

"Right, what's going on?" Mimi demanded. "One at a time, please!" Tobias and Isabella looked at each other, and Isabella then spoke.

"Fire!" Isabella gasped. "There's a fire near the kapok, walking palm and ungurahui trees." The blood suddenly drained out of Eduardo, Mimi, Roberto, Sophia and Jewel's faces, and Jewel began to tremble violently. Fire had been what had split her from her family all those years ago, what had killed her mother, Tia, and Felipe's childhood sweetheart, Adelaide. Jewel had sung 'Don't Go Away' to Adelaide as she died in her wings. They had only been teenagers; less then a year old. Adelaide had been too young to die.

"Jewel?" Blu frowned at his mate as she quivered. "Are you alri…" suddenly, terror flooded into Blu's eyes. "Where are the kids?" he whispered. No one answered. He gasped. "The kids! They went to the kapok trees!" he spun round to Roberto and Sophia. "Yours went there too, and Andrea!" he looked across to where Antonio perched nearby. He whirled round to Tobias and Isabella. "A-and Bruno!" Silence hit the entire ravine as the realization hit them. Within seconds, they, along with some other tribe members, were flying through the rainforest, mere blue blurs in the air, calling for the teenagers frantically. History was about to repeat itself.

Meanwhile, Bromeliad flew through the rainforest, thinking of her apology. _Bia, I'm really sorry for what I said, I didn't mean it, I'm sorry and hope you can forgive me_… _ugh, I'm seriously awful at apologies. _Bromeliad thought to herself. A horrible smell reached Bromeliad's nostrils, and she frowned. She had never smelt anything like it; it was over powering, acrid, like… she couldn't think of a word. Shivering, Bromeliad headed further from home, toward a group of kapok, walking palm and ungurahui trees. She passed some bright, magenta-coloured flowers; the flowers she was named for, bromeliads. She paused, running her talon along the surface of one of the several petals. Bromeliad then flew on, leaving the flowers behind. Suddenly, she heard familiar voices; her brothers, sister, Andrea, Bruno, Carla, Tiago, and Bia. _Ugh, this is it, then. _Breathing in, Bromeliad flew into the cluster of trees.

"Hey, guys." She said, smiling weakly. They stiffened, and turned toward her. Bia casted her eyes downwards from where she was cuddled under Azure's wing.

"What do you want?" asked Carla, crossing her wings.

"Bia, I want to say something to you." Bromeliad said. Azure narrowed his eyes as Bromeliad. _I hope you mean it. _Bromeliad said the first words in her head. "I'm really sorry, okay? I didn't really mean it, honestly. If you don't forgive me, I can't blame you… but I want us to turn a new leaf and start again. I haven't been fair to you… I'm sorry." Bromeliad looked at Bia desperately, praying that Bia would accept her apology. All heads turned to Bia. Her eyes flickered up to Bromeliad, and they didn't reveal her emotion. Bia then sighed.

"Okay. I accept your apology." She said slowly. Relief flowed through Bromeliad.

"Thank you." she whispered. Andrea opened her beak to say something, but then a strange scent filled their nostrils; what Bromeliad had smelt earlier. The thick mist drowned out the sky, floated over the trees. Then they saw it. All of them had been told about it when they were chicks. Fire.

They screamed.


	16. Prayers

The macaws flew through the rainforest, fear in their hearts. Blu, Rafael, Eva, Nico and Pedro had been lucky; they had never experienced a forest fire before, but the rest of the tribe had an old memory clear in their minds. The night that Jewel had been separated from her family and tribe. The Spix's and the Scarlet tribes had gathered to try and reach a deal on the Brazil nut grove, but a fire had torn through the jungle, creating fatalities on both sides. Most of the flying macaws slowed down as the fire emerged into view, expect for a few. "Wait!" Mimi gasped when Jewel, Blu, Roberto, Sophia, Antonio, Isabella and Tobias didn't slow down. Their kids were in that part of the forest. Yet they hesitated at the fire, and began pacing along it, desperately calling. But there was one who didn't stop.

"Jewel, wait!" Blu gasped. "It's not safe!" at her mate's calls, Jewel slowed as haunting memories came back from her childhood. Images of Tia and Adelaide flashed through her mind; their eyes, their feathers, their voices. Tia's voice had been sonorous, soft-spoken, and Adelaide's had been higher pitched, more like that of a bird younger than her. Suddenly, there was a crack. A large, walking palm tree fell toward Jewel. Eduardo, Mimi and Roberto's minds were suddenly filled with an image. A falling tree had crushed Tia to death. They froze in their flight. For a moment, they all said nothing. Then Eduardo's voice ripped through the silence. He had grieved over Tia's dead body. He couldn't do the same for his daughter's.

"Jewel!" roared Eduardo. "Move!" Jewel spun round, eyes wide with alarm, and then she saw the tree. She froze, paralyzed as it crashed toward her. Her life flashed before her; her first memory, where Tia had cradled her in her wings as a newly hatched chick. Her first dance with Blu. Her wing crushed by a cage. Her and Blu's first kiss as they had fallen toward the ocean, and the hatching of Bia, Carla, and Tiago. But then Blu threw himself forward.

"_Jewel!"_ His wings flew out as he hurtled toward her. Blu's wings wrapped around Jewel, barrelling them both away from the path of danger as the tree crashed to the ground, sending shards of wood flying. Blu and Jewel fell to the forest floor, and Blu shielded the trembling Jewel in his wings as the shards flew around them. One stuck into his wing; it was small, and wouldn't cause a big injury, but it was unexpected. He tugged it out, unbothered by the slight pain. Jewel slowly looked up at Blu, eyes full of terror and shock.

"B-Blu…" she choked, eyes wide. "You saved me." She buried her face into his chest, her wings thrown around him. She had been seconds from having the same fate as Tia's, and he had saved her life.

"It's okay." He whispered. "It's okay." Then Blu looked up. Branches rained through the air, toward them. "We've got to go!" not waiting for Jewel to get to her feet, Blu seized her in his talons, and shot back toward the safety of the trees that weren't ignited. He escaped the shower of cinder-glowing branches just in time, his tail feathers singing a bit, but he didn't care. All he cared about was getting his mate to safety. Reaching the sanctuary of the non-ignited trees, Blu dropped the unharmed Jewel beside Eduardo and Mimi, before looking back at the burning forest with enormous eyes. The only thing keeping the fire spreading to the rainforest around the ravine was a drought-shrunken stream, but luckily, the wind wasn't blowing toward them. They were safe. Eduardo's wings were thrown around Jewel, and Mimi was also hugging her, weeping tears of relief. Suddenly, Blu was shocked when Eduardo suddenly pulled him in a suffocating hug. He struggled to breathe slightly, feeling awkward. "Uh…"

"Thank you, so much." Eduardo rasped. Blu smiled weakly, but then he remembered Bia, Carla, and Tiago. They stared toward the forest, fear preventing them from flying into the danger. Mimi then began murmuring under her breath, eyes closed.

"_Tia… please bring them back to us."_

_Meanwhile_

As the flames erupted into the nearest tree, three words exploded from Carla's beak.

"Fly for it!" she screeched. They shot into the air in frenzy, shrieking in fear. They flew in different directions, trying to find an escape as the trees around them ignited. Bia stared in horror as her friends shot toward the trees in different directions. If they split up, they might never find each other again.

"Stop!" she called, desperately. When Bia got no reaction or notice, she screamed at the top of her voice, and they whirled around, eyes enormous with terror. "Stay together!" she cried. She remembered what her father often said. "Birds of blue feathers have to stick together!" Bia shouted, looking at them all. The teens looked at each other, quivering, before they gathered together, their young hearts racing in their chests.

"Where do we go?" gasped Isaac, looking around frantically.

"This way!" cried Bruno, flying toward a gap in the flames. They fled toward the gap, where the trees weren't ignited. The little group shot through the split in the trees, as fast as they could. Every plant and tree was alive with flames. The fire danced through the air, a deadly beauty. Fire was beautiful, it was true, but all Bia saw in it was death and danger. There was then a shower of ash and cinders, and they gasped, ducking, but then there was a cry of agony. Orchid was plummeting toward the forest floor, fire creeping up her left wing feathers from a cinder. Tiago gasped.

"Orchid!" he folded his wings, diving after her. He desperately scanned the forest floor for any puddles, but the drought meant that there was none. He then remembered something Blu had told him. "Roll! Roll on the floor, quick!" Orchid frantically rolled on the forest floor, to crush out the flames from her wing feathers. As soon as the fire vanished, Tiago grabbed her, tearing through the air with Orchid in his talons. She trembled, huddling her smoking wing to herself.

"Go, go!" Andrea began flying alongside them, flying beneath to create drafts of air that would help Tiago fly faster. The fire was all around them, leaping from tree to tree and consuming everything in its path. The terrified sounds of animals and birds echoed all around them, ringing in their ears. Carla pushed Bia ahead of her, shouting for her to fly faster. Bia was flying faster than she ever had before, faster than when they had had the race a few weeks back. Her small wings were straining, and pain was beginning to creep through it. Then Bia saw it. Flaming branches crashed toward Bromeliad, and she couldn't see it.

"Bromeliad!" Bia shrieked. _"Get out of the way!" _She hurtled forwards, crashing into Bromeliad. Bromeliad cried out in shock as they were thrown clear, and she spun round. She turned just in time to see the branches fall where she had been mere seconds before. Bromeliad gasped, and stared at Bia in shock as the realization crashed down on her.

"You… you saved my life." She whispered. Bia had saved her? After all she had said about her…

"Save it for later!" Bia shoved Bromeliad. "Come on, we've got to go! The ravine!" the wind was blowing away from home; hopefully the fire hadn't reached there. If it had… Bia pushed the horrible thought away, thinking of her family, friends, the little Elsa and the unhatched egg. Then they saw them, gathered ahead. A wave of blue, gathered in the green trees ahead. A stream flowed, stopping the fire spreading there. "There!" she cried. Gasps of relief echoed, and then they hurtled toward the blue. They began frantically calling, and heads turned. Andrea was first to reach them.

"Daddy!" squealed Andrea. Antonio spun round, and gasped as Andrea threw herself into his wings, trembling violently. Bia had never seen a more relieved macaw; Antonio's mate, along with his sister, had died before Andrea had hatched, so if Andrea hadn't survived, he would have lost his entire family.

"Bruno!" Isabella and Tobias cried at the sight of their son. Bruno bundled himself at them, tears flowing down his cheeks. Roberto and Sophia rushed forward at the sight of Orchid in Tiago's talons.

"What happened?" gasped Sophia. Tiago handed Orchid over as Isaac and Bromeliad reached their parents. They vanished as Roberto and Sophia hugged them with their wings. Finally, several pairs of wings wrapped around Bia, Carla and Tiago. Blu, Jewel, Eduardo, Mimi, Rafael, Nico, Pedro and Eva all embraced the trio. Jewel and Blu were weeping.

"Oh, kids…" choked Jewel. "I thought we'd lost you." But then there was a name.

"Azure?" Roberto looked around, voice shaking as he spoke. "Azure?" Bia slowly turned around. She looked at Roberto and Sophia's brood; Orchid, Isaac, and Bromeliad. But Azure was nowhere in sight. Terror swept over Bia. Slowly, she turned to the burning rainforest behind them. He was in there somewhere. He could be lost, separated from the group, injured, or… worse. The attention then turned to Roberto and Sophia. They began shrieking their youngest son's name, eyes fixed on the flaming trees. "Azure! Azure!" Bromeliad, Isaac and Orchid were silent, staring into the flames. Bia looked back at her family. Their backs were turned as they looked at Roberto and Sophia. She stared at them for a long moment, looking over her parents, siblings, grandfather, great-aunt, and their family friends. She looked back at the fire. After a few moments, Blu then turned around.

"Bia?" he blinked at the empty spot where she had once stood. The rest of the family and the city birds also turned. They looked around, and then Carla became eerily still.

"No." she moaned softly. "No, Bia, no…" Tiago blinked, and then he put his wings around his older sister as it dawned on them. Tiago then whispered to the others, barely audible.

"She's gone back for Azure."


	17. Help

"Azure!" Bia cried, shooting through a gap in some half-ignited vines. "Azure!" her voice was hoarse and painful from breathing in smoke, but she didn't care. All she could think about was finding Azure; the macaw she loved, the macaw who loved her back. In the far distance, she could hear her family's anguished cries as they realized where she had gone. They called her name, but she didn't head back. She couldn't go back, not when Azure was somewhere in this forest fire. The smoke above drowned the sky; was it a starry night, a cloudy one? Was the moon shining, above the smoke? The smoke was too dense to tell. All she could do was pray for rain. _Tia, please help me… _after they had been reunited with Jewel's family, Jewel had explained her childhood to her kids, and how she grew up and about her friends and family, including her mother, Tia. If her grandmother could see her now, would she help her?

Bia squeaked in alarm as a wind blew, cinders lifting from a branch and flying at her. She ducked, but then she felt something burn on her lower back. She cried out, shaking desperately, and saw the glowing cinder fall away. She waited for a burning feeling, but it didn't come; unlike Orchid, Bia's feathers had thankfully not caught alight. Bia continued to fly through the forest, her heartbeat racing even faster. "Azure! It's me, Bia!" Bia landed on a branch, scanning the air, the trees and the ground. A jaguar tore through the undergrowth, running for the direction of the river. Bia hoped that he made it to the safety of the water.

The tree then lurched, and Bia gasped, lifting off the branch and fleeing as the tree crashed to the ground. A voice screamed in her head. _What have you done? You've gone into a fire, Beatriz! You idiot! _Bia knew that she could die in this fire. Her rescue attempt would have been in vain; both Blu and Jewel and Roberto and Sophia would have lost a chick. Pushing away the image of her body, Bia continued to search. "Please…" she whispered, looking around. A tear welled in the corner of her eye, and it dripped down her cheek. "Azure…" Bia then whipped around. She could hear a distant cry. She could barely hear it with the roar of flames, but she knew what it was.

"_Bia!" _cried the voice. _"Someone, help me!" _Bia was then racing through the trees, barging through vine curtains, ducking under cinders.

"Azure!" she called, a flicker of hope lighting in her heart. "Azure, I'm coming! Hold on!" the voice was getting louder now as she neared its source. He could hear her now.

"Where are you?" he cried, and she could picture him looking around, trying to locate her through the flames. But then there was a shriek and a crash. The burning hope in Bia's heart went cold. She continued rushing through the humid air until she bursted into a clearing. She looked around frantically, searching, and then she looked down, seeing a heap of branches. And a dash of blue.

"Azure!" she gasped, folding her wings and diving toward the forest floor. Bia landed awkwardly, and ran over to the blue, and it was there that she found him. Looking smaller than ever, half his singed blue plumage staining black and gray through soot and ash. His dense collection of head-feathers messy and out of place. She had no idea how to check a heartbeat. Bia's wings covered her beak as she whispered. "Azure… no, no…" she touched his face with her wingtips, but she felt no response. "Please, no…" After several moments of silence, a tear trickled down one of her cheeks, and then more, and within seconds her face was soaked with tears. Bia shook her head slightly, as if not believing that he was dead, but then she collapsed, wings thrown over him as she sobbed. The flames closed in around them, warm and unbearably bright. She couldn't go back without him - she couldn't carry him but she couldn't return to Roberto, Sophia and their kids only to tell them that Azure was dead. The guilt would weigh on her shoulders for the rest of her days until her last breath. Instead of fleeing, Bia closed her eyes and waited for the flames to reach them.

Bia suddenly felt movement. She looked around. Was a tree falling? No. But then she looked at Azure. His chest was rising and falling; he was breathing. Bia gasped, leaping to her feet, and held his face, staring at him. "Azure?" she whispered hopefully. Then Bia was met with two blue eyes, one with the familiar amber fleck. "Oh my stars!" she wailed, more tears spilling from her eyes. "I thought you were dead!"

"No." despite their dangerous situation, Azure had his same familiar smile. "I was unconscious." Bia didn't let him say anymore. Her beak crushed Azure's as she kissed him. Azure then staggered to his feet and enveloped her in his wings. Bia's own wings were thrown around his neck, and she shook violently, face pressed into his shoulder.

"I thought I lost you." She wept. "Where did you go earlier?"

"The smoke… I lost you guys. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise!" Bia spluttered, hugging him again, but then there was a creaking sound. The duo looked up, and saw a tree, leaning down toward them. "We've gotta go!" Bia gasped. She whirled round to him. "Can you fly?"

"I think so…" Azure flapped his wings a few times, and he lifted off the ground slightly. "Yes, I can fly." Sighing with relief, Bia flapped her wings and within moments they were flying as fast as they could in direction of the Amazon river. They couldn't head back to the tribe, through the flames. They couldn't escape up and out, due to the smoke and risk of crown fire. Bia also knew about air vacuums, which could drag a bird toward the flames. The river was their only hope. Azure was beginning to slow down, now. He was gasping for breath, and so was Bia. Their chests felt tight from the smoke, and they were both exhausted. And Azure was injured; Bia only just noticed a wound on Azure's wing, and his flight seemed uneven. A red stain was spreading over his wing feathers. Bia flew beneath him like Andrea had flown beneath Tiago and Orchid earlier, the drafts of her wings easing his flight. Yet Bia was on the point of passing out. She felt light-headed and dizzy as she got more exhausted, and her wings were flapping less. Suddenly, she saw it. Glistening through the trees.

"Come on…" she gasped. "We're almost at the river. Come on, it's so close…" they were beginning to fly lower. Azure's wings weren't flapping at the same time, and every wing beat was an effort. It was the same for Bia, too. They bursted through the trees, and then they saw the drought-shrunken river, the water, and a large, green mass. Giant Amazon Water lilies, like the ones on the plunge pool in the ravine. They flew for the closest one; Azure then fainted, but crashed down onto the lily pad, just in time. Bia collapsed onto the same lily pad, landing beside him, sending water splashing up. Bia coughed, spitting out a beakful of ash, and then she looked up at the sky. There were no stars - clouds. Many, dark clouds, for the first time in what felt like forever. A single drop of water fell on the spot between Bia's eyes, and she blinked, not quite believing it. Then everything became blurry, and the corners of her vision darkened. As raindrops began to fall from the sky, Bia passed out.

_Later_

"Bia!" Jewel shouted. Blu, Carla, Tiago, Eduardo, Mimi and the city birds did the same, calling for Bia. The tribe flew through the soaked forest, their feathers clinging to them in the rain, but they didn't care. The trees were charred and black, the undergrowth scorched. Embers still glowed in the trees, but they were gradually fading out as the rain became heavier. Roberto, Sophia, Isaac and Bromeliad were frantically calling for Azure. With her painful wing, Orchid was laying on her father's back, her injury rendering her unable to fly. She was craning her neck, looking over the undergrowth with frightened eyes. The tribe was calling for both Bia and Azure, looking under every scrap of burned plant, in every tree hollow. The rain continued to pelt down, soaking into the parched soil and forming enormous puddles. How could this miracle happen now, after that terrible event?

"What about the river?" cried Roberto. "Surely they headed toward water?"

"We'll check afterwards!" Eduardo stated, looking over his shoulder with fear in his voice; he couldn't bear the thought of burying his granddaughter's body. "We've got to search the forest thoroughly, first!"

"Beatriz!" Blu called, looking around with a fearful expression. He had a whistle in his talon from his old fanny pack; he had taken the whistle from the hollow after Bia had gone missing, in hopes that she would come back if she heard it. He whistled with it, straining his ears to hear Bia's voice.

"Azure!" Sophia's voice was turning hoarse from calling for her son, and the tears were beginning to trickle down her face. Blu whistled again. On the lily pads, Azure's eyes opened. He slowly raised his head, shaking with effort as he did. He could hear them. His family's voices, his adoptive uncle's whistle. He tried to call, but to no effect. His voice was torn from smoke. The sound he could make was a hoarse whisper. He looked at Bia beside him; she was still unconscious, the ash strewn through her feathers beginning to flow away as the rain fell.

"Bia?" he croaked, reaching over and shaking her with a wing. She didn't respond, but she was still alive. He could see by her ragged breathing. Azure frantically looked around. With their weight on the lily pad, and the pouring rain, their delicate raft was beginning to sink. The lily pad had little edges around it, but the water was lapping up against the sides as the rain filled the lily pad. If the lily pad filled with anymore water, the river would finally breach the sides of the lily and they would sink. Birds couldn't swim with their feathers, and Bia was unconscious and Azure was too exhausted to fly. They would drown.

Azure continued trying to call, but his throat was even more painful. _You've got to. You'll both die, _murmured a voice in his head. Azure was going to pass out again. He stumbled to his talons, the lily pad moving dangerously beneath them. He squawked; his father's trademark call, the 'cuk-caw' Roberto had taught Tiago when the latter had arrived in the tribe with his family. He called it again. In the rainforest, Carla heard a noise. She whirled round to look at Roberto, but he wasn't calling it. This squawk was too far away. There was only one thing it could be. Where was it coming from?

"Quiet!" she cried, wings thrown out. "Everyone, be quiet!" immediately, the tribe members faded in silence, listening and looking around. There it was again.

"It's Azure!" gasped Bromeliad. The group flew toward the sound, Blu, Jewel and their family clinging onto the hope that Bia was with him. They emerged from the trees; the sound had gone now. There they were, collapsed together on a Giant Amazon water lily.

The two families rushed toward their loved ones. Blu scooped up Bia, lifting her from the lily pad, while Sophia reached Azure and swept him back to the safety of the bank. Blu dropped his daughter down beside Azure, and the tribe and the city birds clustered around the two, desperately trying to see if they were too late. But the two young macaws were still breathing.

"It's a miracle!" cried Mimi. "They're alive!" but something struck the two families. The two were injured, as was Orchid. Curing burns were beyond their healers' knowledge.

"What do we do?" gasped Tiago. Blu and Jewel then looked at each other. Since the sanctuary was put in place, a building had been built in a clearing; it was similar to Tulio's aviary back in Rio, used like a veterinary clinic; if any injured macaws or other birds were found, they were brought there and nurtured back to health.

"I know where we have to go." Blu said.


	18. Healing

Bia moaned softly, turning her head while she slept. Behind her closed eyelids, flames burned around her, and trees fell. She could hear the terrified cries of her tribe mates, and saw them flying around in frenzy. She began to twist and turn in her sleep, muttering. "No… no…" then something shook her. Bia sat up suddenly, staring around in bewilderment. She was looking into four pairs of eyes; two brown, one turquoise, one bright green. "Mom, Dad, Carla, Tiago?" she whispered in a hoarse voice.

"It's us, sis." Carla was smiling. Blu then reached toward the bolt with his beak, turning it and opening the cage. As gentle as they could, Blu, Jewel, Carla and Tiago hugged her. Bia closed her eyes, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her wings and lower back. She twisted her head, and caught a glimpse of a bandage covering her burn. There were walls that were painted a gentle, soft-toned blue. Bia was lying in a nest made of shredded fabric-like paper, which was in a metal cage. A human had its back to them, murmuring in a soothing voice to something in another cage. Birds were perched on little wooden poles jutting out of the wall; some of them had cones around their necks, others had bandages and stitches. It reminded her of the aviary back in Rio, where she had been hatched.

"Where…" she looked around. "Where am I?"

"We're in the Sanctuary's aviary." Tiago assured her. "You're safe." Bia stood shakily, supported by her family. She looked around from where she was tucked under her father's wing.

"Where's everyone else?" Bia asked.

"They're outside." Blu said. "They don't know that Eduardo and Mimi are related to us, so only we're allowed in."

Jewel then touched her daughter's cheeks with her wing-tips, tears glistening in her eyes. "You were so brave, sweetheart. You kept your friends together, you saved Bromeliad's life - and you risked yourself to find Azure. You have no idea how grateful his family is."

"Azure…" Bia murmured. She looked around in panic. "Is he okay?" Jewel then smiled, and extended a wing toward a nearby cage. There he was, lying in the cage, in some nest material like her's. His eyes were shut, but he was breathing slowly and evenly. There was no trace of ash or soot in his plumage, but there were a few stitches on his wing; Bia remembered that he had a cut on it. Bia then noticed Roberto, Sophia, Orchid, Bromeliad and Isaac gathered at the cage. While Sophia, Isaac and Bromeliad looked uncomfortable in human surroundings, Roberto was looking around, looking even more so. Bia remembered Azure telling her that Roberto had been born in Manaus, and kept in horrible conditions by two humans. It was perfectly understandable that he would seem uneasy. Orchid looked the most at ease, since these humans had tended to her injury and been kind to her. Sophia had a wing looped over Orchid's shoulders, careful to avoid her wing. Bia could just about see Orchid's wing; luckily, the cinder had only burned away some feathers, so a few were missing. The family then turned around, their eyes travelling to Bia.

"How's your wing?" Bia asked Orchid, before anyone could speak.

"It's not too serious; the cinder just burned some of the feathers. I'm allowed to be outside my cage. Bia… thanks so much." Orchid looked down at her sleeping brother. Then there was a periwinkle-blue streak, for Sophia had thrown herself toward Bia. Bia was alarmed at first, but then she realized that Sophia was only hugging her.

"You saved him and Bromeliad!" Sophia's blue eyes sparkled with gratitude, and glistened with tears. She was then joined by her mate and kids, other than Azure, who was still asleep.

"You have no idea how thankful we are!" Isaac exclaimed.

"Because of you, Bia, our kids are all still alive and kicking. How can we ever thank you?" Roberto asked, rubbing one of his eyes with his wing to wipe away a tear.

"I'm just paying it forward." Bia said, smiling. When they looked confused, she clarified her statement. "I don't expect anything back." Bia then felt a wing around her, and she was shocked to see that the wing belonged to Bromeliad.

"Thank you." Bromeliad whispered. "I could have died, but you chose to save me. After all I said about you? I feel like such an idiot… how could I have said those things?"

"Don't worry about it. We all make mistakes." Bia then looked at them all. "How… how did you all find us?"

"The only reason we found you two was Azure; he started squawking my trademark call. When we arrived at the river, your lily pad was minutes from sinking, with all the rain. A few more minutes… and you could have both drowned." Roberto explained.

"You three are the only ones who got injured." Isaac added. He then shivered. "It could have been much worse." Across the room, there was a ringing sound. Their heads turned, and they saw a human picking up the telephone.

"Yes? Ah, Dr and Mrs Monteiro…" at this, Blu, Jewel, Bia, Carla and Tiago looked at each other. The man nodded, and they could hear the faint voices of Tulio and Linda on the phone. "Don't worry, only three were injured. One of them was Bia." At the mention of Bia's name, they heard a gasp on the other end of the line, but the man rushed to reassure Linda and Tulio. "She's absolutely fine - just a minor burn, it should heal in a few days. The three were actually carried here - we think that two are the chicks of the macaw with the long head feathers, since he and his mate had them both. One of the chicks has an amber fleck in one eye, he was the worst… he needed a few stitches. But other than that, they'll recover in no time. We'll just have to wait for the stitches to go on that one. They're dissolvable; the stitches dissolve as the wound heals. We'll wait until the wound's completely healed, just to make sure there's absolutely no chance of it getting infected. It'll probably take a week or so. Alright? We'll see you three in a few hours." The man then put down the phone, and left the room.

"Sounds like our human friends are paying a visit." Mused Jewel. Then, there was a tap on the window. They looked up, and saw Eduardo, Mimi, Rafael, Eva, Nico and Pedro. Rafael was tapping it with his beak. Tiago flew up to the window, and was joined by Blu and Roberto as they pushed the window open. The six squeezed into the room, asking if Bia, Azure and Orchid were alright.

"They're okay." Said Sophia. "Some human said that the girls'll be in for a few more days, Azure a week or so…"

"Thank goodness." Sighed Eva. After hugging his granddaughter, Eduardo turned to the window, looking up at the sky, which was still gray as rain continued to fall heavily.

"Thank you, Tia." He murmured. There was a whisper of breeze from the window, ruffling his feathers, before it faded away.

_Later_

Bia smiled as Fernando gently patted her head. Linda, Tulio and Fernando had arrived a few days ago, and were helping to tend her, Orchid and Azure. Bia was now free of her cage, as she was fit enough to fly, and she and Orchid would likely to released tomorrow. Bia's burn had gone, but they were keeping her in for one more day, just in case. The bald patch left by the burn was fading as the feathers began to grow back. Bia was relieved; it had been embarrassing, looking into a little mirror and seeing a patch of skin on her lower back. She was lucky to not have a scar, but for Azure, the ornithologists weren't certain. It was possibly that the stitches could leave a scar, but hopefully it would be small and not very noticeable. Even if there was one, Bia didn't care - so what if Azure had a little mark? He was the same Azure to her. Bia flew across the room, landing on the metal bars to Azure's cage. He was still not awake yet; but he should by now. Bia then heard a small murmur.

"Hey, Bia." Azure's eyes opened, and he smiled. Bia smiled, and reached through the metal bars to touch his face with her wing-tips.

"Hi." She whispered. Azure dragged himself to the metal bars separating them, and they nuzzled beaks through the bars. On top of Azure's cage, Orchid's head was tucked under her wing as she slept. In the doorway, Linda, Tulio and Fernando watched Bia and Azure.

"That's cute." Linda whispered as she watched Bia and Azure nuzzling beaks. "I wonder if…"

"Let's leave them." Tulio smiled at his wife and adoptive son, and the three humans quietly exited the room. Bia unbolted the cage door, flying in, and nestled herself down beside Azure.

"Good night, Azure."

"Good night, Beatriz."


	19. Welcome back

_10 minutes… 9 minutes and 59 seconds… 58…57… _Bia's heart was skipping as the clock hand moved around the clock face, agonisingly slow. It seemed like ten minutes was equivalent to one minute, which was how slow it seemed to her. Over nine minutes to go until noon. That was when she and Orchid were scheduled to be released back into the wild. Orchid was pacing beside her, looking outside with longing in her enormous blue eyes.

"I really want to go _now."_ Orchid complained, running up to the window and pressing her beak to the glass. Her feathers were ruffled slightly with excitement, and her ruffle of head feathers were sticking up. She had head feathers like Sophia, only she had more and they were splayed out a bit, some lying straight like Bia's and some flicking up. It made her look cute, the way they flicked out. In contrast, Bromeliad's were exactly like her mother's, one feather on the back of her head and flicking up in a graceful curve. "I've never spent so much time not being outside… how can humans spend time in these things for so long? I'd get so bored… don't they want to go outside, breathe the fresh air?"

"I've read about humans preferring to be inside their homes rather than out, and having trouble convincing their kids to taste the outdoors." Bia said. Her sharp claws clicked on the cabinet surface as she walked up and down it, restless. Orchid then flew over to the door and began hovering by the keyhole, peeking through it and waiting. She ended up swinging upside-down from the ceiling fan, and she hung there like a bat as the ceiling fan revolved in endless circles. Tiago had been doing that back in Rio, when they went on their summer vacation. He enjoyed hanging upside-down, after seeing a bat doing it when they were little. Orchid then dropped from the ceiling fan, fluttering down to Azure's cage.

"Hey, sleepy head!" Orchid chortled, tapping her beak against the metal wiring. Azure raised his head, blinking away sleep. "Wakey wakey, me and Bia are going soon! We'll be back every day to check on you, capiche?"

"Oh man, you're_ both_ leaving me?" Azure sat up, rubbing his eyes with tiredness.

"Afraid so." Bia flew over, holding onto the bars with her talons. She reached through the wiring, running her wing-tip along his shoulder. "We'll miss you, Azzy."

"_Azzy?"_ Orchid stifled a giggle. "How sweet… Bia and Azure, sitting in a tree…"

"Whatever." Bia said, cuffing Orchid on the wing playfully. Orchid laughed, and then returned to peeking through the keyhole.

"Hurry up, lovebirds - they'll be here any minute now." Orchid flew down to the floor and crouched, peering under the gap. "Come on, humans, hurry up…"

"You'll be okay, here?" Bia asked.

"Course I will. These humans seem nice enough."

"Don't worry - Tulio, Linda and Fernando will take care of you." Bia assured him, leaning against the wires.

"They're coming!" Orchid then squealed from the door. Bia looked over her shoulder, heart speeding up, before she nuzzled Azure's beak with her own through the bars.

"See you in a few days." Bia pulled away, looking back at him one more time. "Bye." She whispered. Azure blew her a kiss, eyes shining with warmth.

"Bye." He smiled. Bia reached toward him, touching her beak to his through the wire. Bia hesitantly flew to the door beside Orchid, and waited, hearing footsteps. She kept looking back at Azure, who waved and smiled. The door then opened, and Linda, Tulio and Fernando entered the room. Linda and Fernando held their palms out, the two young macaws landed in their palms. Bia squawked to Azure, and he squawked back as the door closed. They were then walking through the corridor, held in Linda and Fernando's hands. Ornithologists were gathered outside, watching with hopeful eyes, the crowed parting as the trio walked out, Orchid and Bia in Linda and Fernando's palms. Linda and Fernando then held out their hands, looking at Tulio, who nodded.

"Adios!" cried Fernando, throwing his hands up. Orchid lifted into the air, flying away as the ornithologists cheered. Bia's heart was thumping, and then Linda threw her own hands upwards. Bia stretched her wings, her wings catching the warm air. She flew upwards, hovering beside Orchid. She looked down at the three humans she knew, squawking a farewell.

"See you next summer!" Bia squawked, even though she knew they couldn't understand her. "Or whenever, depending if you go home now or in a few days, or if you return at some point before…" the two girls then turned, and flew over the rainforest. Bia's blood rushed through her wings as she flew into the Amazon air for the first time in days. She had missed it so much - it was sweet, clean, tinted by the smell of exotic flowers and fruits. Beside her, Orchid whooped, and looped.

"Whoo-hoo! _Amazone!"_ she cried.

"You mean 'Amazon?'" Bia laughed, twisting through the air as she flew.

"'Amazone' sounds better!" Orchid chirruped. "Come on, let's go! I miss my family like crazy, and I miss Tiago too…" the two girls began flying to the ravine. They flew over the Scarlet macaw territory, but there was a stream dividing their territory from the Spix's; luckily, the fire had not spread into their territory. As they neared home, Orchid turned her head toward Bia. "You know your brother? Does he… like me?"

"Like you?" Bia stared. "He has the world's biggest crush on you, Orchid! And he knows that you like him too."

"What?" Orchid's voice became high and squeaky. "How?"

"Your and Azure's conversation before the soccer match." Bia explained. "He was teasing you about your crush on Tiago, didn't you see him standing right next to me?"

"No!" Orchid gasped. "How embarrassing!"

"Hey, calm down - he likes you back, no big deal." Bia comforted. "Come on, look - it's the waterfall, let's make an entrance!" Heads turned at the sight of two blue forms appearing from over the waterfall. Bia and Orchid folded their wings, shooting down into the ravine. They threw their wings out, swooping back up into flight.

"Biiiiaaaaaa!" Mimi streaked over, her wings outstretched. Her classic welcome. Bia sighed, before Mimi swept her into her wings.

"Hey, aunt Mimi!" she exclaimed. "Hey, mind if I breathe now…" Bia then saw the rest of her family rushing over to greet her. Her and Orchid's entrance had been very well defined by Mimi, and as Bia was hugged by her family members, Roberto, Sophia, Bromeliad and Isaac rushed over to Orchid.

"Where's Azure?" Sophia asked Orchid, as soon as she had given her youngest daughter a cuddle.

"He's being released in a few days or a week, his injuries were more severe than ours. Don't worry, he's fine!" Orchid assured her after releasing herself from her mother's embrace. After giving Tiago a cuddle, Bia hugged her parents. Feeling that he had greeted Bia back enough, Tiago then flew up to Orchid.

"Hey, can I talk to you?" he asked.

"Sure!" Orchid exclaimed. As they left, Carla nudged Bia.

"He's going to ask her to be his girlfriend." She whispered.

"Let's ship them." Bia smiled, turning to Carla. At this, Carla smirked mischievously. "What do you reckon?" Bia asked.

"Hmm, Oriago? No, that sounds like some kind of spice… Orago, Tichid?" Carla suggested. "Oh, I know - Tiachid."

"That's adorable. From now on, we won't say 'Tiago and Orchid.' We'll say 'Tiachid'!" Bia declared. Carla then seized her wing.

"Come on, as soon as Orchid and Tiago come back, we're having a celebration! Just us, the teens - then when Azure returns, the entire tribe is having a celebration with the red tribe to celebrate the end of the drought!"


	20. Okay

"What are you reading, hon?" Jewel entered the room, sitting beside Bia and putting a wing around her shoulders. Bia looked up at her mother, sticking her feather bookmark into the page and closing it, revealing the cover.

"_The Fault in Our Stars."_ Bia said out loud. Jewel smiled, before she took the book and put it down.

"Your father's got something he wants to show you." Jewel said. At that moment, Blu came in, something shiny hanging from his beak. It was her moonstone necklace.

"I lost it in the fire!" Bia gasped, staring at her father. "How did you find it?"

"It was lying on one of the lily pads." Blu said, putting it over her head. "When you flew onto it it must have gone flying. You were very lucky, the lily was sinking with the rain -" Blu didn't get to finished his sentence, because Bia had thrown her wings around him.

"Thank you so much, daddy!" she exclaimed, before flying from the room. Jewel put her wings around Blu.

"Well done for finding it, sweetie. You've got such good eyes." She then spoke in a quieter voice. "So he's meant to be back today?"

"Yes, I went to the aviary and looked at the calendar; it's scheduled for noon. Roberto, Sophia and their kids just left to pick him up." Blu informed. "Eduardo just told me that the preparations have began, and he needs an extra pair of talons to help with the decorations for the party. Come with?"

"Of course." Jewel kissed Blu on the cheek, before the two flew from the tree to find Eduardo, Rafael, Eva, Nico and Pedro; the four city birds had insisted on helping with the decorations. The party was being held in the same place as where the Amazon carnival been in the months before. Meanwhile, Bia eventually found her friends gathered on Carlos and Manuela's tree. The two were out helping with the preparations, and had left Elsa and their new hatchling, Juan, in the care of their older brother and his friends.

"Hi!" Bia called out, swooping into Carlos and Manuela's hollow.

"Hey, sister!" Carla turned around from where she was sharing her headphones with Bruno. Bia was glad that Carla and Gus has finally sorted everything out - Carla had forgiven him fully at last, but she still wasn't taking him back. This was probably good, since it appeared as if Andrea and Augustus were growing closer; in her opinion, they were better suited then Carla and Augustus ever were. They had been spending a lot of time together recently, going out for flights together and often standing together in their group's hang-outs. Augustus and Andrea had more in common, and Bruno seemed better for someone like Carla. Bia was certain that Carla and Bruno were a couple now, since they spent so much time together recently. Carla kept insisting that this wasn't true, but in her heart, Bia knew that it was real. Now, Andrea and Augustus were laughing together. Elsa and Juan were taking an interest in Tiago's amber necklace.

"Wow, it's a bug!" Juan exclaimed, staring at the frozen insect in fascination. Juan was a little ball of down, while Elsa had a few tiny adult feathers appearing in her stubby wings. Juan was only a few days old, born at some point during the fire. He was a little miracle born in something terrible.

"That is so cool!" Elsa peeked at the insect from behind Juan. "How did it happen?" Tiago turned to Bia, grinning.

"Bia can tell you that." He said, extending a wing toward her. Bia smiled, before walking up to Augustus's younger sister and brother. She began explaining, Elsa and Juan gazing open-beaked with fascination.

"Wow, how did you know that?" Juan asked, staring with awe-struck eyes.

"I read a lot of books." Bia said simply, smiling down at the little chick. Before Juan and Elsa could ask what 'books' were, Bia then noticed that she hadn't seen Roberto, Sophia, Isaac, Bromeliad or Orchid at all that day. Reminded of Orchid, she turned to Tiago. "Hey, what did Orchid say to your request?" at her question, everyone else turned around.

"She said yes!" they said in unison. Bia gasped, before putting a wing around Tiago.

"Aw, congratulations, bro! I can't believe you're boyfriend and girlfriend." She then smiled at Carla. "We're calling you Tiachid."

"Oh, what?" Tiago protested. Before he could say anymore, there was a 'cuk-caw' from the ravine entrance. The others then ushered Bia outside.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking at them in confusion. Elsa and Juan clambered up onto Augustus's shoulders to see better, making him stagger with them both on his shoulders. Andrea rolled her eyes in amusement, before allowing Juan to climb onto one of hers.

"Thanks, Andrea." Augustus threw her a grateful look. Bia flew onto a separate branch to see better, trying to see what the fuss was. Blu, Jewel, Rafael, Eva, Nico, Pedro, Eduardo and Mimi were perched on a branch, as were the other volunteers who had gone to help with the party preparations. Roberto, who had squawked, was flying in, accompanied by Sophia. Behind them, there was Isaac, Bromeliad, Orchid… and Azure. Azure was flying straight over to Bia without a glance at anyone else. He landed on the branch beside her, gazing at her, until Bia suddenly rushed forward, sweeping into his wings. Bia closed her eyes, her face nestled into the soft feathers of his chest. Finally, after many moments, she looked up at him, disbelief in her eyes.

"Welcome back." She whispered.

"It's good to be back." Azure replied, holding her face with his wings.

"I thought you were coming out tomorrow?" Bia asked, gazing into the depths of his beautiful eyes.

"My wound healed sooner than they thought it would." Azure explained. Bia took his wing, eyes scanning it, until she found where the wound had been. Instead of a stitched up line, she found a thin scar, parting the feathers on the area above the radius. Azure's eyes looked full of disappointment. "My luck - a scar. It looks awful, doesn't it?"

"Hey." Bia said softly, turning his face toward her's. "It doesn't. You know, I didn't even notice until you pointed it out. You're still the same Azure to me." Forgetting that half the tribe was watching them, Bia threw her wings around Azure's neck. There was a clap. They turned. Across the quiet ravine, Pedro was clapping. Nico then began clapping too, and then Blu and Jewel; finally, the entire tribe was applauding. A tear of joy fell from one of Bia's eyes, and she and Azure enveloped one another in their wings as the applause and cheering grew, filling the ravine and echoing.

_Later_

Felipe and Roberto flew over the water, singing. They were almost like the 'Nico and Pedro' of the Amazon, only their singing style was slightly different. As Felipe finished singing, he dropped onto a branch to dance with his mate, Azalea. The place was decorated very much like when it had been the Amazon Carnival celebrations, with the glowing vines. Flowers were decorated all over the vines and branches. The two tribes were dancing on the water lilies, on the tree branches and in the air. Nico and Pedro then took over the singing, accompanied by Carla and Bruno. Blu and Jewel danced together on a branch, talking and smiling lovingly at each other. Eduardo and Mimi were somewhere in the crowds, dancing away to the music. Roberto was still singing, but he was now dancing with Sophia, performing complex dance moves. Bromeliad, Isaac, Andrea and Augustus were also dancing below on the lily pads; Andrea and Augustus were pairs, while Bromeliad was partnered with Kai and Isaac with a female named Floresta. Even the chicks were joining in; Elsa and Juan danced on a branch, carefully watched by Carlos, Manuela and Augustus. Carla and Bruno carried on singing while Tiago and Orchid also danced nearby. Carla then threw her wings up. "The chorus, Roberto and Sophia!" the two began their duet, singing in perfect synchronization as the tribes listened in silence. As the chorus ended, everyone's wings threw into the air, and hundreds of voices rose as the rest of the singing and dancing resumed.

In the higher branches of the main tree, Bia and Azure danced more slowly, in a slow, lazy circle, their wings wrapped around each other. Bia's cheek was rested against Azure's chest, and his chin was rested on her head. Both their eyes were closed as they listened to the sound of voices below. Bia loved Azure. They were only teenagers, true; but it was possible. Bia had read enough books to know that. They belonged together, they were both certain of. She had hurled herself into a forest fire for him; no one did that for just anyone.

"Azure… I know we're only young." Bia said, looking up at him. "But I think I love you."

"I am in love with you, Beatriz." Azure looked down at her, his smile gentle. He then remembered something Bia had told him about from _The Fault in Our Stars. _He smiled. "Okay?" Bia knew exactly what he was referring to. She smiled.

"Okay."

**_That's the end! All my OC's belong solely to me, you can't use them in your stories, I'm afraid. On a happier note, I'm so surprised at this fan fiction's success, I never thought it would be so popular and well-received! Thanks so much guys, for all your support and reviews. Keep the comments and views coming, tell your Rio-loving friends about it. Stay tuned for more Rio fanfiction from me, I've got many more ideas to come. Let's hope that 'Rio 3' will be as good, huh? Anyway, thanks again, and I hope you've liked this story! Keep watch for the sequel; 'The Estrella', coming soon._**

**_Sorrel _**


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